Free a Marine to Fight:
Women Marines in World War II
by Colonel Mary V Strernlow, USMCR (Ret)
ome stories sound too
contrived to be true,
•yet are repeated too
often to be dismissed as
mere folklore. One
such tale was rescued and restored to
its rightful place in history when
Mary Eddy Furman confirmed that,
yes, the portrait of Archibald Hen-
derson, 5th Commandant of the Ma-
rine Corps, crashed from the wall to
the buffet the evening that Major
General Commandant Thomas Hol-
comb announced his decision to
recruit women into the Corps. Mrs.
Furman, then a child, was a dinner
guest at a bon voyage dinner party
given for her father, Colonel William
A. Eddy, and the Commandant's son,
Marine Lieutenant Franklin Hol-
comb, on 12 October 1942 when the
Commandant was asked, "General
Holcomb, what do you think about
having women in the Marine Corps?"
Before he could reply, the painting of
Archibald Henderson fell.
We can only surmise how Ar-
chibald Henderson would have react-
ed to the notion of using women to
relieve male Marines "for essential
combat duty:' On the other hand,
General Holcomb's opposition was
well-known. He, as many other Ma-
rines, was not happy at the prospect.
But, in the fall of 1942, faced with
the losses suffered during the cam-
On the Cover: "Free a Marine to Fight"
could well be the caption of this picture
as women Marine recruits pass male Ma-
Tines Ifl combat gear heading for field
training at Camp Lejeune in 1943.
Department of Defense Photo (USMC)
6153
At left: A WI? color guard is pho-
tographed at Headquarters, Marine
Corps, summer 1944. Photo courtesy of
Mary R. Rich
paign for Guadalcanal — and poten-
the protection the men got:'
tial future losses in upcoming Yet, until 1941, not many people
operations — added to mounting took the available studies seriously
manpower demands, he ran out of and even advocates could not agree
options. on whether the women should be en-
With 143,388 Marines on board listed directly into the military or be
and tasked by the Joint Chiefs of kept separate, in an auxiliary, where
Staff to add 164,273 within a year, they would work as hostesses, librar-
the Marine Corps had already lo- ians, canteen workers, cooks,
wered its recruiting standards and waitresses, chauffeurs, messengers,
raised the age ceiling to 36. At the and strolling minstrels.
same time, President Roosevelt's plan Congresswoman Rogers eventually
to impose a draft threatened the elite compromised and settled for a small
image earned by the selective, hard- auxiliary and in May 1941 she in-
fighting, disciplined Marines, and so, troduced H.R. 4906, a bill to estab-
the Commandant did what he had to lish the Women's Army Auxiliary
do. In furtherance of the war effort, Corps (WAAC) to make available
he recommended that as many wom- '1. .to the national defense the
en as possible should be used in non- knowledge, skill, and special train-
combatant billets. ing of the women of the nation:' The
The idea was unpopular, but legislators argued and stalled. Even
neither original nor unprecedented; the brazen Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor was not enough to move
women were already serving with the
Army and in the Navy and Coast them to pass the bill until 15 May
Guard Reserves. In fact, during 1942.
World War I, 300 "Marinettes" had Unfortunately, the notion was
freed male Marines from their desks doomed from the start and the
and typewriters at Headquarters, WAAC, an auxiliary of women who
Marine Corps, to go to France. were neither military nor civilian, ul-
Periodically, between World War timately was reorganized and con-
I and World War II, prodded by peo- verted to full military status as the
ple like Army Chief of Staff General Women's Army Corps (WAC) in late
George C. Marshall and Congress- summer 1943. Meanwhile the Navy
woman Edith Nourse Rogers, mili- watched the unraveling of the WAAC
tary and elected leaders gave fleeting very closely as it struggled with its
thought to the idea of a women's own version of a plan for women.
corps. Marshall knew that General Some say there were naval officers
John I. Pershing had specifically who preferred to enlist ducks, dogs,
asked for, but not received, or monkeys to solve the manpower
uniformed female troops. Rogers, a shortage, but the decision was made
Red Cross volunteer in France in at the highest level to use women and
1917, was angry that women who furthermore, recognizing the fate of
had been wounded and disabled dur- the failed WAAC, the women would
ing the war were not entitled to be "in" the Navy. With sideline help
health care or veterans' benefits. She from Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, the
promised that ". . women would not
. Navy bill, Public Law 689, was
again serve with the Army without signed on 30 July 1942, establishing
the first woman on active duty in the got to have women, I've got to any Marines. Dismayed, and con-
World War II Marine Corps. A few have somebody in charge in vinced she would be disqualified be-
weeks earlier, Mrs. Anne A. Lentz, whom I've got complete confi- cause she did not know the right
a civilian clothing expert who had dence:' So he called on General people, she answered honestly that
helped design the uniforms for the Wailer. General Waller said, "If she knew no Marines. In fact, this
embryonic MCWR, was quietly I've got to be responsible for the was exactly what the Commandant
commissioned with the rank of cap- women, I've got to have some- wanted to hear because he worried
tain. She had come to Marine Head- body in whom I have complete that if she had high-ranking friends
quarters on a 30-day assignment confidence." And he called on in the Corps, she might circumvent
from the WAAC and stayed. Major Rhoads. So then the two the chain of command when she
By all accounts, the selection of of them came out to see me. couldn't get her way. After the inter-
Mrs. Streeter to head the MCWR was Having passed muster with both view, Colonel Wailer said he thought
Colonel Waller and Major Rhoads, it went well, but the appointment still
inspired. It fell to this woman who
Mrs. Streeter was scheduled for an had to be approved by the Secretary
had never before held a paying job,
interview with General Holcomb. In of the Navy. That was good news for
to facilitate recruiting, training, ad-
the course of the first meeting, he Mrs. Streeter since Secretary Knox
ministration, and uniforming of the
asked repeatedly whether she knew was a close friend of her mother and
new Women's Reserve.
Ccl Streeter poses with two other won-zen's reserve directors: Capt Dorothy St rat-
Mrs. Streeter, 47, president of her ton, head of the Coast Guard SPARS, left, and Capt Mildred McAfee, of the WAVEs.
class at Byrn Mawr despite complet- Photo courtesy of Mary R. Rich
ing only two years of college, wife
of a prominent lawyer and business-
man, mother of four including three
sons in service and a 15-year-old
daughter, and actively involved for
20 years in New Jersey health and
welfare work, was selected from a
field of 12 outstanding women
recommended by Dean Virginia C.
Giidersleeve of Barnard College,
Columbia University. Dean Gilders-
leeve chaired the Advisory Educa-
tional Council which had earlier
recommended to the Navy the selec-
tion of Lieutenant Commander
Mildred McAfee, Director of the
WAVES.
Colonel Littleton W. T. Wailer, Jr.,
Director of Reserve, and his assistant,
Major C. Brewster Rhoads, travelled
across the country to interview all
candidates personally, and discreet
inquiries also were made about the
nominees. The Commandant firmly
believed the success of the MCWR
would depend largely on the charac-
ter and capabilities of its director.
Mrs. Streeter must have seemed an
obvious choice. She was confident,
spirited, fiercely patriotic and high-
principled. Discussing the interview
in later life, she said:
As nearly as I can make out,
General Holcomb said, "If I've

3
her in-laws, and her husband had position of adjutant, organizing inquired about service in the WAVES.
been the Secretary's personal counsel. schedules and doing ". all the dirty
. . She asked about flying in the Navy
Throughout her long life, Ruth work:' but was told she could be a ground
Streeter remained a devoted Marine, In later years, retired Colonel instructor. She declined and a month
but the Corps had not been her first Streeter reminisced that British wOm- later found herself in Washington,
choice. After the fall of France in en were flying planes in England ear- the first director of the MCWR.
1940, Mrs. Streeter believed the Unit- ly in the war and she expected After Major Streeter and Captain
ed States would be drawn into war. American women to be organized to Lentz were on board, six additional
In interviews she spoke of German ferry planes to Europe. When, at last, women were recruited for positions
submarines sinking American ships the quasi-military Women Air Serv- considered critical to the success of
a mile or two off the New Jersey ice Pilots (WASPs) was formed un- the Women's Reserve. They were
shore, in plain sight of Atlantic City. der the leadership of the legendary handpicked because of their special
So, fully intending to be part of the aviatrix, Jackie Cochran, Mrs. Street- abilities, civilian training and ex-
war effort, she learned to fly, earned er was 47 years old, 12 years beyond perience, and then, with neither mili-
a commercial pilot's license, and the age limit. Nevertheless, she tried tary training nor indoctrination, they
eventually, bought her own small to enlist four times and was rejected were commissioned and assigned as
plane. In the summer of 1941 Streeter four times before she asked to meet follows: Women's Reserve represen-
joined the Civil Air Patrol, and Jackie Cochran personally, and then tative for public relations, First Lieu-
although her plane was used to fly she was rejected the fifth time. tenant E. Louise Stewart; Women's
missions aimed at keeping the ene- In January 1943, before the pub- Reserve representative for training
my subs down, to her enormous frus- lic knew about the Marine Corps' program, Captain Charlotte D. Cow-
tration, she was relegated to the plan to enlist women, Mrs. Streeter er; Women's Reserve representative
Capt Henry W Bransom speaks to a group of WAVES who recruiting offices, such as this one in Washington, D.C. They
volunteered to transfer to the Marine Corps and work in wore WAVE uniforms until USMC uniforms were ready.
Photo courtesy of Marine Corps Gazette

4
for classification and detail, Captain
Cornelia D. T. Williams; Women's
Reserve representative for West
Coast activities, Captain Lillian
O'Malley Daly (who had been a
Marinette in World War I and per-
sonal secretary to the Commandants
from that time); Women's Reserve
representative for recruit depot, Cap-
tain Katherine A. Towle; and Assis-
tant to the Director, MCWR,
Captain Helen C. O'Neill.
The somewhat dubious distinction
of being last to take women had its
benefits. The missteps and problems
of the WAACs, WAVES, and SPARS
were duly noted and carefully avoid-
ed by the Marines, but more signifi-
cantly, the other services were
generous in sharing advice and
resources. Right from the beginning,
the Navy was a full partner in get-
ting the fledgling MCWR off to a
good start.
There was widespread skepticism
about whether men could properly
select female applicants, so women
were sought immediately for recruit-
ing duty. The Navy sounded a call
among WAVE officer candidates and
19 volunteers were selected for trans-
fer and assigned to Marine procure-
ment offices where, still dressed• in
their Navy uniforms, they set to
work recruiting the first Marine
women.
By agreement between the Navy
Bureau of Personnel and Headquart-
ers, Marine Corps, and to avoid com-
petition in the recruiting of women
for either naval service, Naval
procurement offices were used by
Marine procurement sections. Wom-
en interested in joining the WAVES
or the Marines went to one office to
enlist and receive physical examina-
tions. In time, however, the Marine
Corps developed its own network of
recruiting offices. The official an-
nouncement finally came on Satur-
day, 13 February 1943, and women
enthusiastically answered the call to
"Be a Marine ... Free a Man to
Fight:' Although enlistments were
The first WR recruits to be shipped to New York for training at Hunter College
receive instructions from lstLt Helen Perrell at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station.
scheduled to begin on the following
Monday, the record shows that at
least one woman, Lucille E. McClar-
ren of Nemacolin, Pennsylvania,
signed up earlier, on 13 February.
Women who aspired to serve as a
WR had to meet rather stringent MCWR, none have been recorded.
qualifications which prescribed not
only their age, education, and state
of health, but their marital status as
well. At the start, the eligibility re-
quirements were similar for both
officers and enlisted women: United
States citizenship; not married to a
Marine; either single or married but
with no children under 18; height not
less than 60 inches; weight not less
than 95 pounds; good vision and
teeth.
For enlisted or "general service;' as
it was called, the age limits were from
20 to 35, and an applicant was re-
quired to have at least two years of
high school. For officer candidates,
requirements were the same as for
WAVES and SPARS: age from 20 to
49; either a college graduate, or a
combination of two years of college
and two years of work experience.
In time, regulations were relaxed
so that the wives of enlisted Marines
were allowed to join, and enlisted
women could marry after boot camp.
S
Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 147-81
Black women were not specifically
barred from the segregated Marine
Corps, but on the other hand, they
were not knowingly enlisted. While
it is rumored that several black wom-
en "passed" as white and served in the
Officially, the first black women Ma-
rines, Annie E. Graham and Ann E.
Lamb, arrived at Parris. Island for
boot training on 10 September 1949.
Early recruiting was so hectic that
in some instances, women were
sworn in and put directly to work in
the procurement offices, delaying
military training until later. Ameri-
can women were determined to do
their part even if it meant defying the
objections of parents, brothers, and
boyfriends who tried to keep them
from joining up.
Marian Bauer's parents were so
shaken at her decision to enlist that
they refused to see her off. But then
there were the lucky ones like Jane
Taylor, who remembers the wise ad-
vice from her father, a World War I
sailor, "Don't ever complain to me.
You're doing this of your own free
will. You weren't drafted or forced.
Now, go — learn, travel, and do your
job to the best of your ability:' Zetta
the daughter of Salvation
Little,
Army officers, joined because, ".
someone waved a flag and said my
brother would come home from the
war sooner if I did."
The Marines were serious about
the weight limits and just as under-
weight male enhistees have always
done, underweight women devoured
bananas washed down with water to
bring their weight up to the required
95 pounds. Audrey Bennington, af-
ter being rejected by a Navy doctor
because she was underweight, left the
induction center to gorge herself, and
when she returned, the corpsman
turned accomplice, looked away as
she climbed on the scale clutching her
fur coat and shoes. An equally ac-
commodating corpsman rested his
foot on the scale and wrote down 95
pounds when diminutive Danelia
Wedge was weighed the second time.
"Wedgie" got as far as Camp Lejeune
but was afraid her military career
LtCol Streeter welcomes national officers of the Marine Corps
League Auxiliary to the WR barracks at Henderson Hull. From
left are Mrs. Mabel Murry, LtCol Streeter, Auxiliary President
was over when a doctor asked what even before news of the Women's
had caused her to lose so much Reserve was announced:
weight since enlistment. He accept- I know this is no time to
ed her quick response, 'Well, sir, long
reminisce, but I do want to
train rides don't agree with me." bring this to your attention. I
Throughout the war the minimum am the Marine from 96th Com-
age, set by law, remained unchanged pany, Sixth Regiment:, who was
even though was sometimes
it with Lieutenant [Clifton B.]
difficult to defend. After all, some Cates and a few other Marines
teenagers argued, 18-year-old girls that captured Bouresches,
were able to enlist in World War I, France, and I turned over the
and even some 17-year-olds joined first German prisoner and
with their parents' consent. Others machine gun to you that our
wondered why 18-year-old boys battalion captured on the night
could be sent to combat, yet 18-year- of 6 June 1918. I have a big re-
old girls could not serve at all. quest to ask . As I have no
. .
While some parents fought to keep sons to give to the Marines, I
their girls home, others asked special would be more than happy if
consideration for daughters who you. . would recommend my
.
were too young to enlist. One of the daughter to the newly-formed
most poignant letters came from a Marines Women Reserve
World War I holder of the Distin- Corps. While I appreciate that
guished Service Cross who wrote to her age may be a little young,
the Commandant in January 1943, she will be 18 this June I. . .
Mrs. Louise Jacobsen, and Mrs. Olyse Marc hi. LtCol St reefer
never missed an opportunity to reassure civilians that a
motherly figure was watching over her women Marines.
Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 12270
6
 feel sure she could fit into your
program . . surely this is not
. for 90 days. Marines went a step fur-
too much for a D.S.C. ex-
Marine to ask of you . women employees who enlisted from
Recruiting for the MCWR was
almost too successful and one
procurement officer, cautioning that
the number of applicants so far ex-
ceeded the quotas that he feared a
backlash of ill will, suggested that
publicity be curtailed. Within one
month of MCWR existence, while
Marine forces regrouped after the
campaign for Guadalcanal, and pre-
pared for the move to New Georgia
and the advance up the Solomons portant reason for the tour and they were a lot rougher, Inga knew
chain, Colonel Waller reported: "The indeed for having a Director of she had to be a Marine.
women of the country have respond-
ed in just the manner we expected
• . Thousands of women have
. .
volunteered to serve in the Women's
Reserve and from them we have al-
ready selected more than 1,000 for
the enlisted ranks and over 100 as
officers:'
Naturally, each service wanted to
recruit the very best candidates, and
the women directors, joined in a sin-
gleness of purpose, set aside inter-
Service rivalry to get the job done.
Typically, the four leaders, Major
Streeter; Major Oveta Culp Hobby,
WAAC and WAC; Lieutenant Com-
mander Mildred H. McAfee,
WAVES; and Lieutenant Commander
Dorothy C. Stratton, SPARS, ironed
out their differences on recruiting
women from the war industries, civil
service, and agriculture, and submit-
ted a recommendation to the Joint
Army-Navy Personnel Board which
eventually became an all-Service
policy.
Women working in war industries
were discouraged from enlisting, but
some were persistent and in the end
were required to go to the local office
of the United States Employment
Service for approval. Civil Service
employees needed a written release
"without prejudice" from their agen-
cy and when a reluctant employer
released the employee "with
prejudice;' none of the Armed Serv-
ices would consider her application goal on schedule and reached
strength of 18,000 by 1 June 1944.
ther and barred their own civilian Then, all recruiting stopped for near-
ly four months and when it was re-
working in their original jobs even sumed on 20 September 1944, it was
if classified to a similar military oc- on a very limited basis.
cupational specialty. Everyone agreed that the MCWR's
Almost immediately, Major Street- recruiting success was directly tied to
er and the public relations officer, the Marine Corps' reputation — the
Lieutenant Stewart, toured the United toughest, the bravest, the most selec-
States, speaking at many gatherings tive. Women like Inga Frederiksen
such as womens clubs and Chambers did not hesitate to accept the
of Commerce, to explain the purpose challenge of joining the best. When
of the MCWR and to win public sup- a SPAR recruiter told her she was
port. A more subtle but equally im- smart not to join the Marines because
Women's Reserve at all, according to
Colonel Streeter, ". . was because the
.
parents were not going to let their lit-
tle darlings go in among all these Thanks to the Navy, officer train-
wolves unless they thought that ing began when the MCWR was only
somebody was keeping a motherly one month old. Sharing training fa-
eye on them:' cilities saved time and precious man-
Families had good reason to be ap- power in getting the women out and
prehensive; the early months were on the job. Moreover, Marines
difficult for the Women Reservists. benefitted from the Navy's close rela-
Of all the problems, ranging from tionship with a group of prominent
barracks obviously designed only for women college presidents, deans, and
male occupancy to the scarcity of civic leaders who gave sound advice
uniforms, the most trying were the based on years of experience with
stares and jeers of the men which in women's programs. Just as important
the words of Colonel Katherine A. they offered several prestigious col-
Towle, second Director of the lege campuses for WAVE and subse-
MCWR, ". . somehow had to be
. quently, MCWR training.
brazened out:' The Navy's Midshipmen School
From the start, the directors of for women officers, established at
the WACS, WAVES, SPARS, and Smith College in Northampton, Mas-
MCWR focused their energy on the sachusetts, later branched out to
war effort, but it was difficult not to nearby Mount Holyoke College in
be distracted by the change in atti- South Hadley. Enlisted women were
tude of the fickle public whose ear- trained at Hunter College in New
ly enthusiasm for women in uniform York City, and without question, the
gave way to a nasty, demeaning distinguished reputations of these
smear campaign that started as a two institutions enhanced the pub-
whisper and grew to a roar. The lic image of the WAVES and the
WAAC took the brunt of the abuse women Marines.
and never really recovered. It was so The first group of 71 Marine
bad that some suggested it might be officer candidates arrived at the U.S.
part of an enemy plot to sabotage the Midshipmen School (Women's
nation's morale. Sadly, a military in- Reserve) at Mount Holyoke on 13
telligence investigation showed March 1943. The women Marines
otherwise. were formed into companies under
Nevertheless, the MCWR met its the command of a male officer,
7
 Photo courtesy of Evelyn Waliman Gins
The last class of WRs to graduate from boot camp at Hunter ty. Between 27 March and 10 July 1943, more than 3,000
College, The Bronx, are at the far end of the formation of Ma- women Marines were fully trained at Hunter before all
rifles and WAVES held on the grounds of Columbia Universi- MCWR schools were moved to Camp Lejeune later that year.

Major E. Hunter Hurst, but, similar slow. In fact, the official photo of the MCWR curriculum was identical to
to Marine detachments on board first platoon to graduate from boot that of the WAVES, except for drill
ships, the WR unit was part of the camp at Hunter College is a master- which was taught by reluctant male
WAVES school complement, under ful bit of innocent deceit because as drill instructors transferred to Mount
final authority of the commanding Audrey L. Bennington tells it, "Only Holyoke from the Marine Corps
officer of the Midshipmen School. the girls in the first row—and a few Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South
Officer candidates joined as pri- in the second row— had skirts on. We Carolina. Officer candidates studied
vates and after four weeks, if success- in the other rows had jackets, shirts, naval organization and administra-
ful, were promoted to officer cadet, ties and caps, but—NO skirts. Lord tion, naval personnel, naval history
earning the right to wear the covet- and Taylor was a bit late in getting and strategy, naval law and justice,
ed silver OC pins. At that point skirts to you:' and ships and aircraft. The second
women who failed to meet the stan- Recruits received very precise and phase of training was devoted to Ma-
dards were given two options: trans- clear instructions before leaving rine Corps subjects taught by male
fer to Hunter College to complete home. They were told to bring rain- Marines and later, as they, them-
basic enlisted training or go home to
coat and rain hat (no umbrellas), selves became trained, WR officers.
await eventual discharge. Cadets lightweight dresses or suits, plain This portion of training was conduct-
who completed the eight-week course bathrobe, soft-soled bedroom slip- ed apart from the WAVES and in-
but were not recommended for a pers, easily laundered underwear, cluded subjects such as Marine Corps
commission were asked to submit play suit or shorts for physical edu- administration and courtesies, map
their resignations to the Comman- cation (no slacks), and comfortable reading, interior guard, safeguarding
dant. In time, they were discharged, dark brown, laced oxfords because, military information, and physical
but permitted to reenlist as privates experience has proven that drill- conditioning.
unless they were overage. ing tends to enlarge the feet:' They On 6 April, members of the first
A disappointment shared by mem- were also warned not to leave home officer class received their OC pins
bers of the first Officer Candidates' without orders, not to arrive before and on 4 May history was made as
Class (0CC) and recruit class was the exact time and date stamped on the first women ever became com-
the scarcity of uniforms. Both trained the orders, and not to forget their ra- missioned officers in the Marine
for several weeks in civilian clothes tion cards. Corps. Retired Colonel Julia E. Ham-
because uniform deliveries were so During the first four weeks the blet, who twice served as a Director

B
of Women Marines, recalled the com- listed women were ordered to the chemical attack, defense against air
ical reactions she and other women U.S. Naval Training School (Women's attack, identification of aircraft, and
of the first officers class received: Reserve), at Hunter College in The safeguarding military information.
"That first weekend, we were also Bronx, New York City. Seven Between 26 March and 10 July
mistaken for Western Union girls:' hundred twenty-two "boots" arrived 1943, six classes of recruits, of ap-
The Marine Corps section of the in three increments between 24 and proximately 525 each, arrived in-
Midshipmen School operated on a 26 March and were billeted in near- crementally every two weeks. Of the
two-part overlapping schedule, with by apartment houses. On the 26th, 3,346 women who began recruit
a new class arriving each month. The 21 platoons of women Marines be- training at Hunter, 3,280 graduated.
first three classes each received seven- gan training with the WAVES and on And again, as at Mount Holyoke,
and-a-half weeks of training. In all, 25 April they graduated. Since the separate Marine companies were
214 women officers completed 0CC school was designed for WAVE in- formed into a battalion under the
training at Mount Holyoke. doctrination, the curriculum was command of a regular officer, Major
largely geared for the Navy. Some William W. Buchanan, who report-
Meanwhile, Headquarters, Marine subjects were clearly not pertinent ed to Navy Captain William F Ams-
Corps, was making plans to consoli- for Marines, so modifications were den, commanding officer of the
date all MCWR training at Camp made and once again reluctant male school. Captain Katharine A. Towle,
Lejeune, North Carolina, by 30 June. Marines were pulled from Parris Is- who had been specifically recruited
The women of the fourth Officer land to be instructors. Training ses- from the University of California at
Candidates' Class reported to Mount sions varied from three and a half to Berkeley and commissioned directly
Holyoke on 5 June, were promoted five weeks and besides the dreaded from civilian life without any Marine
to cadet on the 29th, boarded troop physical examinations, time was al- training, was Major Buchanan's
trains for the two-day trip to Camp lotted for uniforming, drill, physical senior woman staff officer. Actual-
Lejeune on 1 July, and finally gradu-training, and lectures on customs and ly, she was the only woman Marine
ated on 7 August. courtesies, history and organization, officer at Hunter until the first
Two weeks after the first officer administration, naval law, map read- officers' candidate class was commis-
class reported to Mount Holyoke, en- ing, interior guard, defense against sioned. The rest of the Marine Corps
staff included 33 male instruc-
The 1st Platoon, U.S. Naval Training School (Women's Reserve), gathered at Hun- tors —10 officers and 23 enlisted
ter College in New York City, April 1943. Because uniform shipments were delayed, men — to teach classroom subjects to
only the women in the first row and a few in the second wore uniform skirts. the Marine women and 15 to 20 male
Photo courtesy of Audrey L. Bennington
drill instructors to supervise the close
order drill of all "boots," WAVES and
Marines.
Captain Towle, destined to be the
second director of the MCWR and
the first Director of Women Marines
after passage of the Women's Armed
Forces Integration Act of 1948,
described her indoctrination into the
Corps in a 1969 interview:
No one could have been
greener or less military than I
in those early days. I even came
aboard the school in my civilian
clothes. My uniforms were still
in the process of being tailored
for me in New York. I could tie
the four-in-hand uniform tie for
my uniform khaki shirt, but
that was about all. I was soon,
however, to learn basic proce-
dures under the kind and
watchful tutelage of the Marine

9
 ing, but Marines soon saw the ad- ing more and more that we
vantage of having their own schools. could include some weapons
It wasn't only that Mount Holyoke instructions, at least pistol, for
and Hunter Colleges were over- our women . . . . I have found
crowded and st retched beyond that the women come into the
reasonable limits by the number of Marine Corps expecting to learn
women arriving every week. There to shoot and I, of course, would
was a larger motive for moving like to see them become the first
MCWR schools to Camp Lejeune women's reserve in the country
and, simply, it was the famed Marine to take up the specialty of their
esprit de corps. Camp Lejeune, where men if Headquarters considers
thousands of Marines were prepar- the idea at all feasible. I
ing for deployment overseas was the wouldn't have had the nerve to
largest Marine training base on the suggest i t if Mrs. Franklin D.
East Coast and offered sobering op- Rooswelt hadn't asked me on
portunities for the women to observe her visit last week how soon
field exercises and weapons demon- they were going to learn to
Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 310463
Col Katherine A. Towle, second director strations, and to see the faces of the shoot. She expressed surprise at
o f the Women's Reserve and first post- young men they would free to fight. learning that the women of the
war Director o f Women Marines, was a Major Hurst, commanding officer U.S. were not learning as much
dean at the University of California, Ber- of the Marine Detachment at Mount about weapons as the women
keley, before entering the Marine Corps. Holyoke, understood almost im- of other countries . . . .
mediately the drawbacks of trying to
Corps detachment's sergeant Nearly a half century later, the re-
indoctrinate and train Marines in
major, a Marine of some thirty
such patently civilian surroundings tired 23d Commandant of the Ma-
years' service. He really must
as a college campus. Less than a rine Corps, General Wallace M.
have had some bad moments.
month after training began he wrote Greene, Jr., expressed a like senti-
What you will do when ment when he wrote in 1990:
Brigadier General Waller:
you're a good Marine, is really
something. Every day for the
In drawing these up [training I commenced to realize the
first week he would escort me schedules], I found myself wish- meaning of sexism in the armed
to a quiet room away from cu- The headquarters of the Women'sReserve Schools at Camp Lejeune supervised the
rious eyes (which was just as recruit training of more than 18,000 women during the c o m e o f World War 11.
well) and give me instructions Photo courtesy of Mary R. Rich
in how to salute properly, as
well as other helpful lessons on
what was expected of a Marine
Corps officer. And I shall cer-
tainly always be grateful to Ser-
geant Major [Halbert A . ]
McElroy . . . for helping to
make a proper officer out of
me. He really personified the
pride of being a Marine and he
soon indoctrinated me with this
same feeling. I was determined,
no matter what happened, not
to let him down after he had
spent so much time on me, and
I don't believe I really ever did.
Training: Camp Lejeune
Planners originally thought to use
existing Navy resources and facilities
for all MCWR recruiting and train-

WI? recruit Mary C. Harris learns first-hand about a carbine from GySgt Daniel
Carroll, a member of Edson's Raiders recently returned from the Southwest Pacific
WRs were the only military women to receive combat training during boot camp.
forces while I was a Marine
Corps observer with the British
army during the Battle for Bri-
tain. During a night bombing
raid against London, I watched
the women gunners in an an-
tiaircraft battery battle the in-
coming German planes. I
suddenly asked myself, "Why
aren't our women — able, loyal,
and patriotic as they are —
permitted to participate in this
fashion?"
The Marine Corps Women's Re-
serve Schools — officer candidate and
boot training along with certain
specialist schools — opened in July
1943 under the command of Colonel
John M. Arthur. Officer candidates
and recruits in training at Mount
Holyoke and Hunter Colleges were
transferred to Camp Lejeune, New
River, North Carolina, where near-
ly 19,000 women became Marines
during World War II.
Just one month before the MCWR
schools opened, Major Streeter asked
that weapons demonstrations be sued paper armbands identifying many were furious. When the fa-
made a regular part of the curricu- them as Marine "boots;' ordered to mous bandleader, Fred Waring,
la. Frankly, she wasn't satisfied with pick up luggage—anybody's lug- referred to the WRs as BAMs, a con-
Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 6180
mere classroom lectures on combat
equipment, landing operations, and
tactics so she tactfully suggested:
If it is possible to arrange
transportation and schedules
that would not interrupt the
training of the men in these
lines of work, I believe it would
be a definite inspiration to the
Marine Corps Women's Reserve
to see them actually in training.
As usual, her instincts were right
on target and the envious WRs at-
tended two half-day sessions observ-
ing demonstrations in hand-to-hand
combat, use of mortars, bazookas,
flame-throwers, guns of all sorts, am-
tracs, and landing craft.
The recruits traveled to Wilming-
ton, North Carolina, on women Ma-
rine troop trains of about 500,
commanded by a woman lieutenant
and two enlisted assistants. They ar-
rived at the depot as civilians, but the
transition to Marines began immedi-
stride, but it became tiresome and
ately. The women were lined up, is-
11
gage — anybody's — and marched
aboard the train. The process acceler-
ated at the other end where they were
met by shouting NCOs who herded
them into crowded buses to be taken
to austere, forbidding barracks with
large, open squadbays, group shower
rooms, toilet stalls without doors,
and urinals.
The women were quartered in the
red brick barracks in Area One set
aside for the exclusive use of the
women's schools. Their patriotism
and idealism was sorely tested and
some readily admit they cried when
they realized what they had done.
Others wondered why they had done
it at all. There was, however, no time
in the schedule for adjustment.
General processing, medical exami-
nations, uniforming, and classifica-
tion tests and interviews to assess
abilities, education, training, and
work experience were top priority.
Orientation classes and close order
drill were scheduled for the first day
and a strict training regimen kicked
off with 0545 reville.
One thing hadn't changed from the
days at Mount Holyoke and
Hunter — the male Dl's weren't hap-
py. Shaping up a gaggle of "BAMs"
("broad-assed Marines") was not
what they wanted to do with a war
going on. Feeling the scornful scru-
tiny of fellow Marines, it seemed that
the DIs took on a touch more brava-
do than they dared on the college
campuses. One boot felt the DIs
resented the women, "... more than
a battalion of Japanese troops:' She
was probably right.
For the first year, at least, many
male Marines didn't take the trouble
to disguise their resentment. Dis-
regarding the Commandant's wish-
es about nicknames, some Marines
visibly enjoyed embarrassing the
WRs with the derogatory label,
BAMs. Some women took it in their
 Marines in post exchanges,
moving picture houses, and
other places in the hearing of
members of the Women's
Reserve. . This conduct.
. .

indicates a laxity in discipline

which will not be tolerated.
Commanding officers will be
held responsible .

By mid-1944 open hostility gave

way to some sort of quiet truce and
it wasn't long before the women's
competence, self-assurance, sharp ap-
pearnce, and pride won over a good
many of their heretofore detractors.
It was put in perspective by a young
corporal wounded at Guadalcanal:
"Well, I'll tell you. I was kinda sore
about it (the women Marines) at
first. Then it began to make sense —
though only if the girls are gonna be
tops, understand:' And, in time, Ma-
rines could even be counted on to
take on soldiers and sailors who
dared to harass WRs in their
presence.
In September 1943, the first female
hometown platoon, made up entire-
ly of women from Philadelphia
reported for boot camp. The public
relations gimmick of forming a pla-
toon of women recruited from the
same area and sending them to train-
Photo courtesy of Raelyn Harman Subramanian
To the WR recruits, uniform shortages were routine in the early days. Rose M. Nigro, ing as a unit caught on quickly and
one of the five women in the author's family who seroed with the women Marines on 10 November, the 168th birthday
in World War II, and Betty Hall, had a long wait for a full issue. Here they wear of the Marine Corps, the Potomac
recruit badges, oxfords, and caps at boot camp at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Platoon of women from Washington,
D.C., and the first of two WR pla-
tingent got up and walked out dur- disdain took its toll on the morale of toons from Pittsburgh were sworn in
ing a performance at Camp Lejeune. the Women's Reserve and its direc- at fitting ceremonies.
Marjorie Ann Curtner recalled a tor, causing the Commandant to take
particularly mean-spirited stunt en- steps to end it. In August 1943, he Seventeen more hometown pla-
gineered by a group of Seabees who sent a clear message, fixing respon- toons followed; from Albany, Buffalo
corralled every stray dog in the area, sibillity for change on unit command- (two), and Central New York; Pitts-
shaved them like poodles, painted ing officers when he wrote: burgh, Johnstown, Fayette County,
"BAM" on their sides, and set them and Westmoreland County, Penns-
free to roam the ranks of a graduat- Information reaching this lyvannia; Dallas and Houston, Texas;
ing WR platoon. Headquarters indicates that Miami, Florida; St. Paul, Minneso-
For the first time in their lives, some . . officers and men of
. ta; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Seattle,
many of the women experienced the the Marine Corps treat mem- Washington; the state of Alabama;
hurtful sting of coarse epithets as bers of the Women's Reserve northern New England; and southern
men vented their feelings about the with disrespect . . Coarse or
. . New England. Each platoon was or-
Corps taking "niggers, dogs, and even obscene remarks are being dered to duty en masse, completed
women." Crude language and blatant made without restraint by male boot training together, and after-
12
wards, received individual orders to
specialist schools or duty.
From 15 March 1943 until 15 Sep-
tember 1945, 22,199 women were or-
dered to recruit training and of these,
21,597 graduated. The remaining 602
were separated for medical reasons or
because they were found unable to
adapt to military life.
All women in the early Officer
Candidates' Classes were Class VI(a)
reservists recruited directly from
civilian life without the advantage of
enlisted experience. Consequently,
for the first seven Officer Candidate
Classes, the primary emphasis was
on attitude adjustment, forming new
habits, learning the Marine Corps
"way;' and adopting a military per-
spective. Close order drill was used
toinstill discipline and teach the
women to respond to orders with
precision. To their dismay, old salts
found that the renowned tactics fa-
mous for making Marines out of
civilians weren't working very well
with women: shouting, "reading off;' Marine Corps Historical Collection
and threats were virtually useless. On 13 February 1944, "Col Mike," the mascot of the Central Procurement Division
The methods were changed eventu- in Chicago, tells 2dLt Florence Bailey what it was like in the Old Corps. The "Free
ally, but only after the original staff a Marine to Fight" recruiting poster in the background has a portrait of a woman
Marine painted by famed artist Douglas Crockwell. The original painting hung
members were removed. Colonel in the office of the Director of Women Marines until the billet was abolished in 1977.
Outstanding "boot," PFC Mary C. Har-
ris, earned an immediate appointment to Streeter lamented that the problem in January 1945 and continued until
Officer Candidates Class at Camp the school closed on 15 October.
was never satisfactorily resolved since
Lejeune in December1943. Officer Can- there were so few experienced officers A significant change occurred
didate (OC) pins were earned after four on hand to work on it and there was when, in July 1943, commissioned
weeks of successful officer training, no time for experimentation. status was opened to enlisted wom-
Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 6164
For approximately seven months, en to take advantage of their ex-
from December 1943 to June 1944, perience, and at the same time, build
the Officer Training School ran on a morale and esprit de corps. To be
three-block plan with two candidates' eligible, a Marine had to complete six
classes and a post-commissioning months service, be recommended by
course, Reserve Officer Class (ROC), her commanding officer, and be
meeting at the same time. Each class selected by a board of male and fe-
of about 60 was organized into a male officeri convened at Headquart-
company of two platoons, with a ers, Marine Corps. The eighth officer
company commander and two pla- class, in October 1943, was made up
toon leaders. As the manpower of both Class VI(a) and Class VI(b)
crunch waned and the goal of 18,000 reservists — the latter being Women's
women was reached, the three-block Reserve enlisted. Thereafter, the
system gave way to two-block in June majority of new women officers
1944, with one officer candidate class came from the ranks and from that
and one ROC in session concurrent- point on, only civilian women with
ly. A single-block plan was adopted critical, specialized skills or excep-

13

Capt B. E. Tucker, Sgt Rita Schwartz, PFC Jeanette Walker, and PEC Jane Russell are
shown in the fuselage of a Link Trainer, with the celestial dome in the background.
By August 1944, WRs conducted all courses of Link instruction at Cherry Point.
tional leadership qualities were ac-
cepted for Marine officer training.
Commissioning large numbers of
NCOs caused the MCWR to shift the
focus from making Marines out of
civilian women to making officers
out of enlisted women. An entirely
new attitude and point of view was
called for and this led tothe creation
of the Reserve Officer Class (ROC)
for the newly commissioned officers
in early December 1943.
It was meant to be a two-week in-
troduction to life as an officer, but,
almost immediately it was length-
ened to four weeks to broaden the
students' perspective and lessen the
pressures that built up during basic
Department of Defense Photo (IJSMC) 7184
officer training. Classes were less for-
mal, privileges and responsibilities
were given, and rational problem
solving was stressed. The ROC staff
tried to teach the new officers what
they, if anyone, should have already
known: toughness and threats are
poor substitutes for firmness and
motivation.
The staff revised and refined the
course content for several months un-
til finally, by the end of the third
ROC, it was satisfied. Experienced
officers from Camp Lejeune, nearby
posts and stations, and Headquart-
ers, Marine Corps augmented the
regular staff. Outside speakers such
as the Red Cross field director, the
chaplain, and post psychiatrist
14
described how they could assist line
officers. ROC was immensely suc-
cessful, principally because it was so
practical, and even experienced
MCWR officers, especially those
who had been working in limited
fields such as recruiting, were sent for
advanced training.
Nine hundred sixty-five women,
including the 11 with direct commis-
sions and the 19 transferred from the
WAVES at the start, were eventual-
ly commissioned in the Marine Corps
Reserve. Of the 589 Class VI(a) reser-
vists who began officer training, 72
or 12 percent were dropped and of
the 641 Class VI(b) reservists select-
ed from the ranks, 223 or 35 percent
were not commissioned.
From the very beginning, selected
officers and enlisted women were
given specialist training and by the
end of the war, 9,641 women—8,914
enlisted and 727 officers—attended
schools run by civilians, the Army,
Navy, and Marine Corps. The earli-
est Navy courses were: Aviation
Machinist's Mate at the Naval Train-
ing School, Memphis, Tennessee;
Link Training Instructor at the Naval
Air Station, Atlanta, Georgia; and
Aviation Storekeeper at Indiana
University, Bloomington, Indiana.
The first Marine Corps schools
opened to women were: cooks and
bakers, motor transport, quarter-
master, and non-commissioned
officers. After graduation from 0CC
at Mount Holyoke, several officers
were sent to the Navy's Communica-
tions School in South Hadley.
All in all, by the end of the war
women attended some 30 specialist
schools and the variety is a testament
to the dramatic shift in thinking on
what women could do: first sergeant,
paymaster, signal, parachute rigger,
aerographer, clerical, control tower
operator, aerial gunnery instructor,
celestial navigation, motion picture
operator/technician, aircraft instru-
ments technician, radio operator,
 Photos courtesy of Sarah Thornton
The photographs in this collage show various duties given to WRs assigned to aviation units.
radio material teletypewriter, post ex- form. Action on the Commandant's pired, Mrs. Lentz decided to become
change, uniform shop, automotive letter was swift and Mrs. Lentz came a Marine, and became the first Wom-
mechanic, carburetor and ignition, on board in early January. After a an Reservist when she was sworn in
aviation supply, and photography. preliminary consultation with the as a captain on 15 January 1943. The
Depot Quartermaster in Philadel- oath of office was administered by
phia, she went to New York to over- her husband, Brigadier General John
The basic wardrobe was pretty see the design and construction of M. Lentz, USA, who was attached to
much chosen before the public an- model uniforms for the Women's the Army Ground Forces Headquart-
nouncement of the Marine Corps Reserve by the Women's Garment ers in Washington, D.C.
Women's Reserve. In mid-December Manufacturers of New York. The On 11 June 1943, a Uniform Unit
1942, the Commandant asked that Commandant's guidance was specif- was created as part of the Women's
Mrs. Anne Adams Lentz, an em- ic; he wanted the women dressed in Reserve Section at Marine Corps
ployee of the War Department, be as- the traditional Marine forest green Headquarters to arrange for uniform-
signedto Headquarters "for a period with red chevrons and he insisted ing enlistees when assigned to active
of approximately 30 days:' Before the they look like Marines as much as duty, replenishing clothing from time
war, Mrs. Lentz worked in the school possible. This was in stark contrast to time, and planning for future
uniform department of a large New to the Navy which denied its wom- needs. Soon after, on 17 June, the
York City retail store, and then for en the privilege of wearing gold braid Marine Corps Women's Reserve Uni-
eight months she assisted the throughout the war. form Board was established to sug-
WAACS with the design of their uni- Before her 30-day assignment ex- gest articles of clothing and make

15

For a publicity photograph, the women of Company H, 2d
Headquarters Battalion, Henderson Hall, model the various
work and dress uniforms worn by women Marines during the
recommendations to the Comman-
dant. The original uniform regula-
tions were published in August 1943
after approvals from the Uniform
Board, the Commandant, and the
Secretary of the Navy. But, this was
not an issue so easily settled and a
final version reflecting numerous
changes, modifications, and addi-
tions, was reissued on 30 April 1945
as Uniform Regulations, U.S. Marine
Women's Reserve, 1945. These regu-
lations remained in force and the uni-
forms of women Marines changed
very little until a new wardrobe was
designed by the French couturier,
Mainbocher, in 1952.
Officers were paid a uniform al-
lowance and gratuity of $250 and en-
listed women received $200. With
this the women bought two winter
Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 13061
course of World War II. From left are PFC Florence Miller,
Cpl Lois Koester, Cpl Carol Harding, Sgt Violet Salela, Cpl
Grace Steinmetz, Cpl Rose Mazur, and PFC Mary Swiderski.
uniforms, hats, shoes, summer out- The early WAAC uniform, for exam-
fits, a purse, wool-lined raincoat, ple, had been designed over a man's
specified accessories, and undergar- suit form with broad shoulders, no
ments. To make certain that the care- bosom, and slender hips. Although
fully designed uniforms looked the prototype looked just fine, the
exactly as intended and met the real thing caused endless problems.
Corps' high standards, 13 women
officers were ordered to a six-week in-
Unfortunately, the Marine Corps
Women's Reserve adopted the
tensive training session where they
were drilled in the techniques of WAVES' flawed system of supply and
tailoring, alterations, clothing con- distribution, selling clothing
manufactured by various firms at a
struction, and fitting before being as-
10 percent mark-up to retail stores
signed to uniform shops run by the
and then reselling it at a 30 percent
post exchanges at major Marine
mark-up to the Women Reservists.
Corps posts throughout the country.
The arrangement was abandoned
The seemingly excessive attention within a year because the prices were
to the women's uniforms reflected not shortages were the rule,
excessive,
only the Corps' well known concern and the women refused to pay for
with appearance, but it showed an uniform items with defects—no mat-
astute appreciation of the problems ter how minor. The latter problem
encountered by the other services. caused a log jam which would have
16
been avoided if uniforms were simply
issued with no arguments allowed.
Major reform was called for and
on 16 February 1944, the Uniform
Unit of the Women's Reserve Section,
Reserve Division, Procurement
Branch was transferred to the Office
of the Quartermaster General and be-
came the Women's Reserve Section,
Supply Division, Quartermaster
Department. The first action was, to
terminate all retail agreements and
take responsibility for uniforming
away from post exchanges.
Then, in August, four women
officers became inspectors, visiting
manufacturers and doing whatever
they could to expedite the fulfillment
of contracts. But despite the several
organizational changes and system
modifications, in her final report at
the war's end, Colonel Streeter wrote,
'1 . . the supply of MCWR clothing
was one of the few problems to
which a satisfactory solution had not
been found at the time that demobili-
zation of the Women's Reserve
began:'
Col Katherine A. Towle, second director of the Marine Corps Women's Reserve,
inspects WRs wearing winter service green at MCRD, Parris Island, in 1945.
On one point everyone agreed: all
matters of supply of the women's uni-
forms should have been handled as
it was for enlisted men.
Tailored femininity was the goal,
and by all accounts, it was achieved.
The widespread and enthusiastic ap-
proval of the attractive uniforms gave
everyoners morale a big lift, especially
because once on active duty, Marines
could not wear civilian clothing even
on liberty. Colonel Streeter was es-
pecially proud of their appearance
and demeanor. In her words, "You
know, they had a certain reserve.
They always looked well. They held Department of Defense Photos (USMC) 7416
themselves well. They had a certain 2dLt Elizabeth McKinnon, left, wears the
dignity. And that was each one of summer service uniform with detacha-
them ble green officer's epaulets added so that
The MCWR uniform mirrored rank insignia could be seen more easily.
what was worn by all Marines in Marines. Women officers wore green,
color and style, but was cut from a detachable epaulets on the shoulder
lighter-weight cloth. Generally, straps of summer uniforms and had
officers and enlisted women wore additional dress uniforms. For dress,
identically styled uniforms of the they wore the Marine officers' tradi-
same fabric: this was not true of male tional gilt and silver emblems and the
enlisted women wore the gilt em-
blems of enlisted Marines. Both wore
Photo courtesy of Sarah Thornton the bronze eagle, globe, and anchor
on their service uniforms, but posi-
tioned it differently. While the ver-
tical axis of the hemisphere paralleled
the crease line of the jacket collar for
officers, it was worn perpendicular
to the floor by enlisted women.
Coats, caps, shoes, gloves, handbags,
and mufflers were the same for all
ranks. Enlisted women wore the same
large chevrons as the men.
Officers and enlisted women wore
a forest green, serge man-tailored
jacket and straight, six-gore skirt dur-
ing the colder seasons. A long-
sleeved khaki shirt with four-in-hand
necktie, green cap, brown shoes and
gloves, and bronze metal buttons
completed the outfit. Women Reser-
vists were easily recognized by their
unique, visored bell-crowned hat,
trimmed with a lipsick-red cord
which set them apart from the
17

Department of Defense Photo (EJSMC) 13024
Pvt Anna K. Peterson, a clerk in the Fa-
mily Allowance Section at Headquart-
ers, Marine Corps, enlisted to help
shorten the war so that her Navy hus-
band could return as soon us possible.
The fabric of her seersucker summer
service uniform was selected for comfort.
WACs, WAVES, and SPARS whose
hats closely resembled one anothers.
They had a heavy green overcoat or
khaki trenchcoat with detachable lin-
ing, always worn with a red muffler
in winter. All women Marines owned
black galoshes, boots, or rubbers to
fit the unpopular, but comfortable
oxfords.
with white cap cord and bronze but- and white pumps. The stiffly
tons. Later a garrison-style cap in the starched uniform never failed to
same light green shade and trimmed evoke compliments. Enlisted women
with white piping was added. Shoes, were disheartened when, after the
oxfords, or pumps, were brown and war, because enlisted men had no
a white rayon muffler was worn with equivalent uniform, it was discon-
the trenchcoat. When it was realized tinued.
that officer rank insignia could not
be seen on the striped dress, green
shoulder boards were added and they Officers could choose among three
were fastened to the epaulets by the summer dress uniforms: the white
shoulder strap button and the rank one worn by the enlisted women but
insignia. with added green shoulder straps,
summer dress "B' and summer un-
dress "Cf' The latter two, made of
The hands-down favorite uniform white twill, worsted, or palm beach
of all World War II WRs was the material were worn with a short-
short-sleeved, V-necked white twill sleeved white blouse, and without a
uniform worn with gilt buttons on necktie or green shoulder straps. The
the jacket and cap, dress emblems, "C" uniform was long sleeved and
Pvt Billie J. Redding married her hometown beau, Navy Ens William A. Lewis,
in a military wedding in San Diego. The bride and her maid of honor, Helen Tay-
lor, violated uniform regulations by wearing corsages on their white dress uniforms.
Photo courtesy of Billie J. Redding Lewis

Women Marines did not have a

dress blue uniform until 1952. Dur-
ing World War II and for the seven
years following, officers turned their
winter service outfit into a dress uni-
form with a white shirt and forest
green tie in place of the routine
khaki. Enlisted women had no com-
parable dress option.

The summer service uniform, a

distinct departure from tradition, was
a two-piece green and white seer-
sucker or plisse dress. The fabric was
specially selected by Captain Lentz
for its comfort and laundering ease.
V-necked and fastened with white or
green plastic buttons, the jacket was
available with short or long sleeves.
The first summer hat, a round cap
with a snap brim, was short-lived
and was replaced by one styled af-
ter the winter hat, but in spruce green

18
 in ranks. Since nylon, rayon, and silk
stockings were rationed because of
wartime shortages, some women in
other services were allowed to use leg
makeup, but not women Marines.

Covert slacks were worn for cer-

tain duties, but the most common
work uniform was the olive-drab,
cotton utility uniform worn with the
clumsy, heavy, high-topped shoes
known as boondockers. The trous-
ers with a bib front and long, crossed
straps were worn over a short-
sleeved, matching shirt or white tee
shirt and topped by a long-sleeved
jacket. Enlisted women stenciled their
rank on the shirt and jacket sleeves.
For recreation, field nights, and
physical conditioning, women Ma-
rines wore the "peanut suit;' so
named because of its color and crin-
kled appearance. It was a tan, seer-
sucker, one-piece, bloomer outfit
with ties at the bottom of the shorts.
In keeping with prevailing standards
of propriety, the women modestly
covered their legs with a front-
buttoned A-lined skirt when not ac-
tively engaged in sports, exercise, or
work details.

Photo courtesy of Barbara Baker Rosinski One of the first lessons learned by
WRs Arlene Wij5on and Barbara Baker model work and dress versions of the sum- the women Marines was that there
mer uniform. For dress, a bright green cotton cover was used over the purse. were rules for everything. Lipstick
collarless. On these two uniforms, ing their right hand free to salute. and nail polish could be worn, and
the officers wore their dress emblems The same brown bag became a bright in fact were encouraged, but the
not on the collar as usual, but on summer accessory with the addition color absolutely had to harmonize
their epaulets, near the armhole of a removable, spruce green, cotton with the red cap cord of the winter
seams, and they centered the rank in- purse cover and matching shoulder cap, regardless of the season. The
signia between the emblem and epau- strap. Everyone wore dark brown, favorite color was Montezuma Red,
let button. One WR reminisced that smooth leather oxfords or pumps designed in their honor. Rouge, mas-
even a lieutenant looked like a four- with the winter service uniform and cara, and hair coloring were permit-
star general with so much metal on similar white pumps for dress in the ted, but had to be inconspicuous.
her shoulders. summer. The dress pumps, with heels Realistically, it was nearly impossi-
between one and one-half and two ble for a woman to tint or bleach her
inches high, were trimmed with a flat hair because the color had to match
Women Marines had only one bow. the information on her identification
handbag, a brown, rough textured Ladylike and fashionable full- card. The regulations favored femi-
leather purse with a shoulder strap length, beige, seamed stockings were nine hair styles with hair neither too
and spring closure. They learned to de rigeur with all service and dress short nor too long; by directive, hair
wear it over their left shoulder, leav- uniforms and cotton hose was worn could touch, but not cover the collar.

19
 Department ol Defense Photo (USMC) 301456
Cpl Constance H. Bacon, a bank teller
before the war, worked as an auditor in
the Paymaster Department, Headquart-
ers, Marine Corps. On her fingernails is
regulation "Lipstick Red" nail polish,
which was formulated to match the red
cap cord of the winter service uniform.

In 1943 the country desperately

needed womanpower, but almost no
one knew for certain just how far the
limits of tradition could be stretched
or, more likely, breached. By custom,
working women were mainly em-
ployed in offices, classrooms, hospi-
tals, retail stores, libraries, beauty
shops, or in homes as domestics. Not
many women drove trucks, or buses,
and they certainly didn't fix them.
Photo courtesy of Eleanor Nocito Tuomi Women did not work in the trades—
Pvt Eleanor Nocito, in dungarees and snap brim hat, served at MCAS, El Toro. plumbing, ekcticity, carpentry—and
Not even something as personal as A woman Marine bicycles at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in a seersucker "peanut
underwear escaped strict regulation. suit," named for its beige, crinkly fabric and bloomer legs, and worn for its comfort.
Bras and girdles—whether needed or Photo courtesy of Raelyn Harman Subramanian
not— and full length white slips were
always worn underneath the service
and dress uniforms. Handkerchiefs
could be khaki when the khaki shirt
was worn, otherwise, they had to be
white.
Hair ornaments were forbidden
and the only jewelry allowed were
simple rings and wrist watches.
The uniforms were fashionable
and admired and thankfully belied
the never-ending logistical problems
surrounding their design, specifica-
tions, sizing, inspections, supply, and
distribution.

20
 Photo courtesy of Sarah Thornton
Women drivers and mechanics comprised the Motor Transport Section at Parris Island in 1944.
they rarely supen'ised men. Society ed civilian women at the rate of more Colonel Streeter's philosophy was
had long since deemed certain jobs too than 1,000 a month, and have them '1 anything except heavy lifting and
. .

dirty, too dangerous, too strenuous, or on the job and making a contribu- combat. They could try:'
for unspecified reasons, just not suita- tion in the shortest time possible. One of the first WR officers, Cap-
ble for women. That it was done as magnificently as tain Cornelia Williams, with a doc-
In this social climate, the Marine it was is a tribute both to the wom- toral degree in psychology from the
Corps set out to select, train, classi- en who made it happen and to the University of Minnesota and wide
fy, and assign 18,000 newly recruit- men who allowed it to happen. experience as a college administrator
Women Marines worked in the office of the Sergeant Major of the Schools Training Regiment at Camp Lejeune in August 1944.
Pencil sketch ly Marion A. Allen in Marine Corps Art Collection

21
 prospect of teaching and supervising
women as green as themselves.
At first, the basic test battery chos-
en included the Army standardized
tests to assess general learning,
mechanical, and clerical ability. From
September 1943 through May 1944,
the Army Radio Operators Aptitude
Test was given to all enlisted women.
In June, a test of vocational and job
interests was added, and finally in
December 1944, when the decision
was made to send selected women
Marine volunteers to Hawaii, perso-
nality and adjustment tests were
added.
Once again, just as had happened
in the early phases of training, be-
cause this was a start-up operation
with no women experienced in clas-
sification, male Marines ran the sys-
tem until SNRs were qualified to take
over. With classes of about 500 boots
each arriving at the recruit depot ev-
Department of Defense Phoeo (USMC) 6265
ery two weeks, the challenge of
Cpl Essie Lucas and PFC Betty 1. Ayers, graduates of Motor Transport School, matching the women to critical job
replace a reconditioned engine at Camp Lejeune's post garage in 1943. Lucas was openings was ambitious enough, but
commissioned six years kiter fri the first postwar Women's Officer Training Class. the novelty of using females to fill
in student personnel work, reported (NAVMC-940 C), write appropriate military titles caused more than a few
to Headquarters on 19 February 1943 instructions for maintaining it, select miscues.
for duty in the Classification Divi- classification tests to be given all It just wasn't the same as it was
sion, Detail Branch. Her task seemed Women Reservists, plan for selection with the men who were transferred
simple enough: come up with a plan and training of women classification from boot camp to their first duty
that balanced the new Marines' skills specialists, and train people in the station in large troop drafts, based on
and abilities against the needs of the field in the basics of the classification the theory that most military skills
Marine Corps. Initially, Marines process. had to be learned by all. In contrast,
studied the systems used by the For the most part, there was little women were transferred with their
WACs and the WAVES, but in the difference in the methods and proce- names linked to identified job vacan-
end, the answer was found closer to dures used to classify officers and en- cies because many possessed unique
home and the preferred plan was listed women: the same tests were skills. The idea was sound, but its
based directly on the system already used for both. In the case of officers, success depended upon a cooperative
set up for male Marines. however, closer attention was paid to adjutant at the receiving station as-
On 1 January 1944, the original ar- assessing personality traits and prob- signing the women as planned. If, for
rangement which involved three ability of success as leaders and su- example, a woman was classified as
women officers working in various pervisors. While male officers could a telephone operator and arrived at
divisions of the Detail Branch was reasonably expect to be assigned at a post only to be assigned by the C-i
changed, and a separate Women's the bottom rung of an organization, as a soda jerk in the post exchange,
Reserve Section of the Detail Branch working under the watchful eye and the process broke down.
was organized. Beyond analyzing care of experienced senior officers The Marine recruiting brochures
jobs and translating the duties into and non-commissioned officers, in 1943 promised women openings in
military occupational titles and com- women officers had neither senior 34 job assignments: the shortsight-
piling a directory of training courses, role models nor seasoned non-corns edness of the planners can be seen in
its mission was to design the Wom- to guide them. It was a sink-or-swim the final statistics recording women
en's Reserve Qualification Card situation where they faced the in more than 200.
22
 Miscalculations led to bothersome
reassignments when newly identified,
high-priority jobs had to be filled women were needed to replace a
but qualified women were no longer given number of men. For clerical
available. For example, the first calls
for IBM tabulating machine opera-
tors, teletypewriter operators, sewing
machine operators, draftsmen, utility
repairmen, and even telephone oper-
ators came only after many women
with this kind of civilian training and
experience had been assigned to other
duties.
Expensive errors in judgment were
made because no one knew exactly
how many women were needed and
Marines underestimated their skills
and efficiency. Marines requested far
too many women, especially for
Cpl Ellen V Russell freed a Marine to fight when she served as a butcher in the
post commissary at the Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia, during the war.
office work at Headquarters, because
they thought that half again as many
work, the reverse was generally true.
Worse, in the time-honored tradition
of the Corps, Marines often asked for
twice as many women as were need-
ed, expecting to receive half of what
was requested.
Adding to the confusion, many
men did not understand the duties in-
volved in specific job titles, and peo-
pie who could not dictate requested
stenographers, and people needing
file clerks asked for clerk typists. In
the end, large numbers of women
Marines felt let down and were bored
by monotonous assignments that
Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 25224
23
took only a fraction of their time and
made scant demands on their skills.
Colonel Streeter understood their
frustration and made it a habit to
visit women Marines in the field
often to give regular pep talks on the
vital importance of every job to the
overall war effort.
Contradicting the adage that there
is never too much of a good thing,
the exceptionally high caliber of the
women recruited in the early phases
of the war resulted in too many un-
deremployed WRs. In Colonel Street-
er's opinion:
In test scores, educational lev-
el, civilian experience, and spe-
cial skills, these women, as a
group, were well above "aver-
age:' Only a few of the jobs
open to them in the Marine
Corps were "above average" in
responsibility and demands for
skill, a great majority of the
jobs were quite ordinary, and
many more were actually ex-
tremely simple. Yet, somebody
had to do these simple jobs.
There were not enough women
sufficiently lacking in intelli-
gence, clerical abilit)c education
and skill to be happy in these
simple jobs. So, Women Reser-
vists capable of more skilled
work had to be misassigned —
especially at first and especial-
ly at Headquarters Marine
Corps.
One woman who was not bored
with her job in Washington was
Audrey Bennington', who summa-
rized her tour from 23 March 1943
to 25 October 1945 and declared it
one of the most important times of
her life:
May 1st 1943 'assigned to
Headquarters Colonel Streeter's
section, working with Colonel
Cecil Rhoads, and Major
Charlotte Cower. February
1944, first Woman Marine —
oldest Marine Barracks, 8th &
Eye Streets, Washington, secre-

Crew Chief TSgt Selma 'Rusty" Olson, standing below the propeller, directs a WR
repair crew servicing a North American Mitchell B-25 bomber at Cherry Point in
March 1945. In the war, 40 percent of the women Marines held jobs in aviation.
tary to the CO and his officers.
Every 10 days taken to then
Shangri La (Camp David now)
to do ration records. That post
was where the action was, be-
lieve me. I wish I were capable
of writing a book—what
material I have.
With time, the dilemma of too
many, overqualified women resolved
itself because as the war progressed
there was ample work for everyone,
male supervisors eventually gained
confidence in the women and were
more willing to release the men they
had held back to train them, and the
later recruit classes had fewer excep-
tionally skilled enlistees.
More than half of all Women
Reservists were engaged in clerical
work—about the same percentage as
in civilian life. But new ground was
broken as women went to work as
radio operators, photographers,
parachute riggers, motor transport
drivers, aerial gunnery instructors,
cooks, bakers, Link trainer instruc-
tors, control tower operators, motion
picture technicians, automotive
mechanics, teletype operators, cryp-
tographers, laundry managers, post
exchange salespersons and managers, one-third of the Women Reservists
auditors, audio-visual librarians, as- served in aviation at Marine Corps
Department of Defense Photo CUSMC) 8927
sembly and repair mechanics, metal-
smiths, weather observers, artists,
aerial photographers, photograph
analysts, chemists, postal clerks, mu-
sicians, statisticians, stewardesses,
and writers.
In a 1979 interview, Colonel
Streeter confided she was greatly
amused that WRs were in "secret and
confidential files" because" ...
they
always claim that women can't keep
a confidence, you know:' One WR se-
cond lieutenant assigned to secret and
confidential files presumably had lit-
tle trouble with the security
clearance — Eugenia D. Lejeune, the
youngest daughter of Major Gener-
al Commandant John A. Lejeune.
The most open-minded military
units throughout the war and after
were the aviation components of all
the services. Presumably because mechanical jobs than came from
they were relative pioneers them- these jobs as civilians—especially in
selves, aviation leaders were less aviation.
tradition-bound, and they en- In 1945, looking towards the fu-
thusiastically asked for large numbers
of women and were willing to assign
them to technical fields. Marines
were no exception and right away
asked for 9,100. Eventually, nearly
24
Air Stations (MCAS) at Cherry
Point, Edenton, Santa Barbara, El
Toro, Parris Island, Mojave, El Cen-
tro, Quantico, Ewa, and at the Ma-
rine Corps Aviation Depot (MCAD)
in Miramar.
Because of the large number of
women posted to air commands,
Aviation Women's Reserve Squa-
drons were formed: Number 1 at
Mojave; Number 2 at Santa Barbara;
Number 3 at El Centro; Numbers 4
and 5 at Miramar; Numbers 6-10 at
El Toro; Number 11 at Parris Island;
Number 12 at Ewa; Numbers 15-20
at Cherry Point; and Number 21 at
Quantico.
World War 11 changed for all time
the notion of proper women's work.
In the Armed Forces as in civilian life,
necessity caused the rules to be re-
written and while an effort was made
to fit the women into jobs related to
their former occupations, there was,
by necessity, an openness to new
ideas. Fewer Marine women than
civilians were used as stenographers
and general clerks, but more were as-
signed as typists; fewer were used as
office machine operators, but far
more were assigned to supply and su-
pervisory work. Fewer women Ma-
rines were considered professionals
in the Corps, but this was due to the
large number of school teachers who
enlisted but could not be used as in-
structors.
Fewer women were used in skilled
trades than came from these jobs in
civilian life, but more women
proportionately were used in
ture, Colonel Streeter suggested that
if women were ever again to be en-
listed into the Marine Corps, the
whole process of classification and
assignment could be greatly im-
proved if all jobs were categorized
into four classes:
 Class I jobs in which women
are better, more efficient than
men.
Class II jobs in which wom-
en are as good as men, i.e., they
can or did replace men on a
one-to-one basis.
Class III jobs in which wom-
en are not as good as men, but
it is possible to use them if the
need is great.
Class IV jobs in which wom-
en cannot or should not be used
at all.
Until February 1944, the Women's
Reserve Section, Officer Procure-
ment Division, a entity within the
Division of Reserve, handled most
administrative matters concerning
Women Reservists. Then, as a result rines to be managed by the long-
of a reorganization at Headquarters, established divisions that oversaw
all matters involving recruiting, the administration of the men. Fur-
uniforming, recreation and welfare, thermore, when Women Reservists
plans and training were transferred were assigned to posts and stations,
to the appropriate departments and they reported to the commanding
divisions, stripping the Women's officer of their unit, who was subor-
Reserve Section of much of its work. dinate to the commanding officer of
After that, its principal duties were: the post, and who, in turn, was
to form and move basic training responsible to the Commandant of
classes to the recruit depot, to make the Marine Corps. The MCWR
appropriate selections for officer can- Director was a staff officer not in the
didate school, to process resignations chain of command, and, in truth, she
and separations of MCWR officers, had nothing to "direct."
and to maintain the records and han-
dle correspondence concerning the
above matters. There was never any question that
In essence, the MCWR as an or- there had to be an MCWR Director,
ganization was always more a per- especially to gain the public's favor,
ception than reality. Generally, the but her authority was an illusion.
women were regarded as "extra" Ma- She had a great deal of influence but
25
 Photo courtesy of Mary R. Rich
The WRs parade at Camp Lejeune in 1944
could not take independent action. fling mate—the very patient Major fling mate, and since she came into
The Director was clearly responsible Rhoads who sat beside her for six the Navy totally inexperienced in
for the tone of the Women's Reserve months and taught her the Marine military custom, she made some un-
and as Marines gradually gained con- Corps way. As it turned out, this was fortunate mistakes which stirred up
fidence in her judgement, they paid a certain resentment against her.
a great advantage both for the Direc-
more attention to her suggestions. tor and for the MCWR. Captain Grateful for Major Rhoads' guidance,
At the outset, in an unusual move, McAfee, first WAVE Director, once but somewhat embarrassed that af-
Major Streeter was assigned a run- remarked that she had not had a run- ter six months on the job, she was the
Henderson Hall women Marines presented a stage production, Sgt Margaret Michalik; Sgt Myrtle Douglas; Cpl Emma
"Manhattan Scene," in which they could once again don for- Guidry; PFC Angeline Porfilio; Sgt Vivian Coss; Cpl Bernice
mal civilian attire in 1945. From left are: Sgt Shirley Heyser; Peart; Sgt Mary Thompson; and Cpl Mary Kerkhoff.
Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 13064

26
 Marine Corps Art Collection
Artist Marion A. Allen drew this sketch of Barracks 57 in the living quarters "homier" with an abundance of photographs,
WR area at Camp Lejeune in 1944. The women made their stuffed animals, and other mementos of their civilian lives.
Members of the 2d Headquarters Battalion at Henderson Hall tor of Personnel at Headquarters, Marine Corps. With Gen
pass in review for BGen Littleton W T Wailer, Jr., the Direc- Weller is Maj Martrese R. Ferguson, battalion commander.
DeparLment of Defense Photo (USMC) 13470

27
 Colonel Streeter when she recog- her on the state of health, welfare,
nized, quite by chance, the limits of jobs, training, housing, recreation,
her position. Once, looking for sym- morale, and discipline of the wom-
pathy, she went to Colonel Wailer en while not violating the chain of
and said, "You know, Colonel, it's a command. Each month, she sent a
little hard on me. I've got so much written report to Headquarters with
responsibility and no authority." a copy to the post commanding
She was taken back by his quick officer. It contained information on
response, "Colonel Streeter, you have all aspects of the well-being of the
no responsibility either." It served her women, along with comments of
very well that no one else — male or particular interest at the station. Nor-
female—was ever quite sure just how mally, the information was shared
much authority she did have. with Colonel Streeter who used it to
supplement her own frequent inspec-
tion trips to assess the success or
Photo courtesy of Sarah Thornton failure of official policies.
Cpl June Richardson models a "new" uni- The concept that WRs were Ma-
form at a Parris Island fa5hion show. rines just like all others, to be ad-
only woman director with a mentor ministered and managed in the same In most cases, men supervised
at her elbow, Major Streeter sent a manner as the men, was not easily women Marines on the job, but rou-
memo to Colonel Wailer asking for put into practice. Routine informa- tine matters of discipline were left to
more autonomy. Officers at every tion was transmitted through the es- the women officers. When male
level in the chain of command recom- tablished chain oi command, but the officers had serious problems with
mended disapproval, but Major Director needed to know much more the women at work, they generally
Streeter eventually prevailed by ac- if she held any hope of guiding the turned to the senior woman on
knowledging the wisdom of their de- fledgling organization, nourishing board. This unusual idea of shared
cision to give her a running and encouraging the good and put- responsibility was certainly alien to
mate — which she admitted kept her ting a stop to the bad. Therefore, at Marines and caused more than a few
from falling flat on her face — and by each station where WRs served, the problems, but in most instances it
making the points that one can't stay senior woman was designated Assis- worked.
in leading reins forever, it would be tant for the Womens' Reserve and she Ordinarily, women Marines were
more dignified if she would be al- was charged with keeping the post organized into battalions or squa-
lowed to take over alone, and the commander informed of all matters drons with women line officers in
Marine Corps wasn't getting its pertaining to the women under his command. If a WR did not perform
money out of her. command. her work satisfactorily, or arrived
Perhaps more importantly, she late, her male work supervisor did
So, on 29 October 1943, she be- was expected to keep in close touch not discipline her but reported the
came a Special Assistant to the Direc-
with the MCWR Director, advising problem to her commanding officer
tor of Personnel to advise him on
matters of policy. A month later on At whatever base they were stationed in the States, women Marines had an active
22 November, the law amended, she athletic program, as shown by this 1945 MCWR softball team at Parris Island.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Thornton
was promoted to lieutenant colonel
and then, on 1 February 1944, to
colonel. Still, she had no authority
of her own, never signed official let-
ters except acknowledgements of
monthly reports, and was expected
not to interfere unless the situation
involved blatant disregard of ap-
proved policies. Even then, she mere-
ly apprised the Director of Personnel
of problems and perhaps offered sug-
gestions, but he took such action as
he saw fit.
It was quite a disappointment to
28
for action. On the other hand, if a reputation — geographical assign- Corps they elevated the quality of
WR requested leave, her command- ments were based on several factors barracks living up a notch or two.
ing officer did not grant it without besides Marine Corps personnel Stark squadbays were sometimes
first clearing it with the work super- needs. Originally, women were to be softened with pastel paint and stuffed
visor. It often happened that unit ob- sent only to posts where their serv- animals could be found resting on
ligations in the barracks area, such as ices had been requested and then tightly made bunks. Dressers were
mess duty, training, parades, "field only if appropriate housing was lined up to provide a little privacy,
days;' and inspections conflicted with available. The November 1942 sur- shower curtains were hung, and
work schedules, and this created vey which queried Marine Corps doors closed off toilet stalls. Day
some animosity between female posts on the number of women they rooms set aside to entertain dates
commanders and male work super- could use also asked about suitable were furnished with board games, pi-
visors. quarters. anos, and record players and space
There was genuine ambiguity, as In the 1940s, "nice girls" seldom was found for cooking appliances,
well, about the authority invested in lived away from home or by them- hair dryers, and sewing machines in
women officers and NCOs. The stat- selves, and when they did, there was lounges reserved for women only.
ed policy said that it was limited to
always a chaperone figure some- Marines didn't rush to embrace the
the administration of the Women's where in the picture. Even in war- feminine touches, but after a reasona-
Reserve and to be exercised solely time, and even in the midst of such ble period of adjustment, command-
over WRs. Someone had determined unusual circumstances as women ing officers were proud to traipse
that the relationship of women serving in the Armed Forces, homage visitors and dignitaries through the
officers and noncommissioned was paid to the accepted protocol. To immaculate WR barracks and mess
officers to enlisted men was akin to prevent loneliness and avoid un- halls — clothing hung facing in one
that of a civilian teacher in a military favorable comments, no fewer than direction, sparkling mirrors, no dust
school — senior women could give in- two Marine women were assigned to kittens under the bunks, and glossy
structions, but matters of discipline a station or sub-station, enlisted floors buffed to perfection with
and job performance were to be women could not be assigned to a Kotex.
referred to the man's commanding post unless there was a woman
officer. officer in the near vicinity, and it was
In time, the Commandant found customary to assign women officers As early as November 1942, Head-
it necessary to provide some clarifi- to units of 25 or more WRs. The ra- quarters wisely considered a discipli-
cation. "It appears that the services tio was considerably less in the nary plan for the Women's Reserve.
of officers and non-commissioned procurement offices in large cities. The other services were no help since
officers of the Marine Corps Wom-
en's Reserve are not being realized to
On most posts women Marines the WAACs still served with the
had a commanding officer who Army but were not part of it and the
the fullest extent due to some doubt
as to the scope of their authority reported to the post commander. Navy had no predetermined policy
However, there was a new wrinkle in except to say they would treat
he wrote in March 1944. Ex- problems according to principles
that the women were an autonomous
plaining that the matter had been generally used for men with
entity—proud to run their own out-
considered by the Navy Department whatever modifications might be
fit, handling general administration,
he continued, " ... it is concluded
barracks area maintenance, and mess necessary for special instances such
that it is entirely proper for a wom- as sex offenses.
halls. The relatively few women Ma-
an officer to be assigned to duty Not knowing what to expect and
rines stationed in large cities were
subordinate to a commanding officer unwilling to leave it to chance, Ma-
and her directions and orders in the
given subsistence, a monetary al-
proper performance of such duty are
lowance to pay for housing and rines wisely established discipline
meals. policies for Women Reservists:
the acts of the officer in command,
even though such orders are direct- An exception was made iii
Washington, D.C., where a new and 1. Distinctions between officers
ed to male personnel:' This simple
statement allowed women to become independent post, Henderson Hall, and enlisted personnel would, in
adjutants, personnel, and mess was built to house the 2,400 WRs sta- general, be the same as made be-
tioned there. Officially, it was named tween officers and enlisted men of the
officers.
for the first Commandant, General regular Marine Corps.
Archibald Henderson, but under- 2. Officers would exercise normal
Out of consideration for the standably it became "Hen Hall:' disciplinary functions and MCWR
women — their welfare, morale, and When women joined the Marine officers would have similar respon-

29
sibility when they attained appropri- markedly and the female officers have an automobile. It added to the
ate rank and command. balked at the harsh treatment of WRs allure of assignment to the motor
3. Establishment of brigs or post in these instances. pool that the drivers of trucks, jeeps,
prisons for the confinement of wom- Marines are the acknowledged and buses were more mobile than
en was not contemplated, but con- masters in matters of discipline and their sisters.
finement to quarters was deemed morale, but there was no history to Luckily, Colonel Streeter was able
appropriate. help them bridge the gender gap to balance high standards of behavior
4. Exclusive of sentences involving when the women landed. These with an earthy understanding of hu-
confinement, punishment would be women were not pliant teenagers, but man nature and she seemed to know
awarded as it was for officers and rather adults, all 20 years old or just when to tighten the reins and
men of the regular Marine Corps. older. Some were married, some had when to turn her head. She was prag-
5. Trial by court-martial would be children, and a few had grandchil- matic about discreet instances of
recommended only in serious cases, dren. Since it was a time when fe- fraternization and she recognized
particularly when confinement males were expected to adhere to that when dealing with men and
seemed a possiblity. near-Victorian standards, military women, some things could not be
6. For offenses not warranting tri- leaders assumed a paternalistic atti- strictly regulated. She was a gifted
al, separation from service would be tude and the inevitable occurred— leader who subscribed to the theory
by the most expeditious means in ac- grown, mature women were often that ". . the most able commanders,
.

cordance with policies applicable to treated like school girls. The senior be they men or women, are those
men. women officers, many with roots in who take care of their people and
Little time was wasted on female academia, were often more guilty who keep them out of trouble by an-
offenders, and fortunately, there were than the men. ticipating the problems that may con-
relatively few problems. Because of A galling but unchallenged rule front them."
their communal, intense desire to be was that women on board a base, un- She expected women officers,
accepted by Marines and approved like men of equal rank, could not regardless of their assignment, to
by the general public, women Ma- Twin sisters Irene and Made! ene Spencer toured New England with the War Bond
rines were their own severest critics drive show, "Direct Hit," which starred boxing champion Jack Dempsey, who was
and peer pressure to walk a tight line a Coast Guard officer, cowboy star Gene Autry, and comedian Frank Fontaine.
proved very effective. The records Photo courtesy of Irene and MadeTene Spencer
show only 36 enlisted women sepa-
rated out of the total of 18,000 as a
result of general and summary
courts-martial. When officers
resigned to escape a general court-
martial, their discharge was "under
other than honorable conditions."
Unauthorized absences — usually
accounted for the
less than 10 days —
most common infractions; violations
of regulations (uniform, fraterniza-
tion, etc.) followed. Unlike earlier
policies governing female military
nurses, marriage was a cause for
neither discharge nor punishment,
and pregnancy was considered a
medical rather than disciplinary case.
Much as with the men, punish-
ment included confinement to quart-
ers, loss of pay, reduction in rank,
extra police duties, and in extreme
cases, disciplinary discharges.
However, the severity of punishment
meted out to men and women ac-
cused of sex offenses differed
30

Following the devastation visited upon the carrier Franklin in
operations off Japan, as seen in the picture held by these Worn-
share responsibility for the morale
and welfare of enlisted women and
this policy was sacred until separate
women's units were abolished in the
1970s. Colonel Streeter was rightfully
proud that the Women's Reserve or-
ganized a recreation and education
service long before the Special Serv-
ices Division was formed, and she
credited it with the high morale of the
women Marines. Yet, in the end, it
was her own good sense, concern for
her women, pride in the Marine
Corps, and determination that sus-
tained the wartime WRs.
Since the Women's Army Corps
began as an auxiliary, it was less
strictly regulated than the other
women's services. Consequently,
WACs served in all theaters of war
including the Southwest Pacific Area,
the Southeast Asia Command, the
China-Burma-India Theater, the Chi-
na Theater, and the Middle East
Theater, as well as in Europe, Afri-
ca, Hawaii, Alaska, New Caledonia,
Puerto Rico, and sevezl smaller sites.
Photo courtesy of Evelyn Wailman Gins
en Marines, they were sent on a bond tour in 1945, which
took them to Dallas, Texas, where this picture was taken.
While some members of Congress, the continental United States
uncomfortable about American only upon their prior request.
women so close to combat, argued Colonel Streeter, anticipating the
for restrictions, there were military new policy, was concerned about
men like Marine Lieutenant General choosing mature, stable women for
Holland M. Smith who insisted that duty outside the continental United
women Marines could be used at States. So, she went to see WAC
Pearl Harbor to release men for com- Director Colonel Hobby, and said,
bat. His view was shared by Navy "Look, Oveta, what did you find was
Secretary James V. Forrestal, who the best way of selecting your peo-
told Congress that an estimated 5,000 ple to go overseas?" By her own ad-
naval servicewomen were needed in mission, going straight to Colonel
Hawaii. The outcome was new legis- Hobby was '1 . not exactly accord-
.
lation, Public Law 441, 78th Con- ing to Hoyle," but ". it was certainly
. .
gress, signed on 27 September 1944 sensible and nobody fussed about it"
which amended Section 504, Public Colonel Hobby offered simple ad-
Law 689, 77th Congress, 30 July 1942 vice: "A person who's had a good
by providing that: record in this country is likely to have
Members of the Women's a good record abroad, and a person
Reserve shall not be assigned to whds had disciplinary problems in
duty on board vessels of the this country or whose health wasn't
Navy or in aircraft while such good, we wouldn't send abroad.
aircraft are engaged in combat Sometimes you sent more mature
missions, and shall not be as- ones than the newest enlistees."
signed to duty outside the With this in mind, the Marine
American Area and the Territo- Corps laid out the criteria for select-
ries of Hawaii and Alaska, and ing volunteers for duty in Hawaii:
may be assigned to duty outside satisfactory record for a period of six
31
 Lieutenant Dorothy C. McGinnis
adjutant; First Lieutenant Ruby V.
Bishop, battalion quartermaster; and
Second Lieutenant Pearl M. Martin,
recreation officer— flew to Hawaii to
make preliminary arrangements at
Pearl Harbor. Not long after, they
were followed by the advance party
for Ewa, Captain Helen N. Crean,
commanding officer; First Lieutenant
Caroline 1. Ransom, post exchange
officer; Second Lieutenant Bertha K.
Ballard, mess officer, along with Se-
cond Lieutenant Constance M. Ber-
kolz, mess officer for Pearl Harbor.
Meanwhile, a staging area was es-
tablished at the Marine Corps Base,
San Diego, where the women under-
went a short but intense physical con-
Photo courtesy of Marine Corps Gazette ditioning course that included
Col Ruth Cheney Streeter, Director of Women Reserves, and Maj Martrese Fergu- strapping on a 10-pound pack to
son, commanding officer of the WRs at Henderson Hall, review a parade in Oc- practice ascending and decending car-
tober 1944 during a conference of senior WR officers at Headquarters. Marine Corps. go nets and jumping into the water
months military service subsequent In early 1945, first Women Reserves to be deployed overseas embarked for Hawaii,
to completion of recruit or specialist carrying haversacks with blanket rolls. Upon arrival they were greeted with acclaim.
training; motivation, the desire to do Photo courtesy of Mary R. Rich
a good job, rather than excitement or
hope of being near someone they
cared about; good health; stable per-
sonality; sufficient skill to fill one
of the billets for which Women
Reservisits had been requested; and
age. Not having been a significant
factor for success in the WACs, age
was not specified, but since the mini-
mum tour was to be two years with
little hope for leave, the health and
status of dependents and close family
members was considered.
This settled, in October 1944,
Colonel Streeter and Major Marion
B. Dryden flew to Hawaii to prepare
for the arrival of the women and
most of all to inspect the proposed
living arrangements. Major Dryden,
the senior woman officer serving in
aviation, accompanied the Director
because half the women were to be
stationed at the Marine Corps Air
Station, Ewa.
There was no shortage of volun-
teers and on 2 December an advance
party of four officers—Major Mari-
on Wing, commanding officer; First

32

Soon after arriving in Hawaii, WRs stand to for evening colors in the women's area.
from shipboard. In the classroom,
they learned about the people of
Hawaii, how to recognize Allied in-
signia, shipboard procedures, and the
importance of safeguarding military
information.
On 25 January 1945, with Captain
Mama V. Brady, officer-in-charge,
the first contingent of five WR
officers and 160 enlisted women,
with blanket rolls on their backs,
marched up the gangplank of the
5.5. Matsonia to sail from San Fran-
cisco to Hawaii. Their shipmates
were a mixed lot of male Marines,
sailors, WAVES, military wives, and
ex-POWs, and because of the lopsid-
ed ratio of men to women, the WRs
were restricted to a few crowded
spaces on board ship.
Two days out to sea, they changed
to summer service uniform, and on
28 January, they disembarked in
Honolulu as the Pearl Harbor Ma-
rine Barracks Band played "The Ma-
rine's Hymn;' the "March of the
Women Marines;' and 'Aloha O&'
The WAVES went ashore first—
dressed in their best uniform. Then
came the iNRs — astonished that their
came from the Marine Corps Air Sta-
tion, Cherry Point, and lost no time
before picking up their tools and
working on the planes.
At Pearl Harbor, the WRs ran the
motor transport section, serving
nearly 16,000 persons a month.
Scheduled around the clock and with
a perfect safety record, they maneu-
vered the mountainous roads of
Hawaii in liberty buses, jeeps, and all
types of trucks carrying mail, peo-
ple, ammunition, and garbage. Ma-
rines easily became accustomed to the
sight of women drivers, but never
quite got used to grease-covered fe-
male mechanics working under the
hood or chassis of two-and-a-half-
ton trucks.
The Deputy Commander, Head-
quarters, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific,
gave the WRs high marks for their ef-
Photo courtesy of Mildred Cornwell Kelliher ficiency, attitude, and enthusiasm,
and reported: 'The work of Women's
no-nonsense appearance in dun- Reserve personnel trained in Marine
garees, boondockers, and overseas Corps Specialist Schools has meas-
caps seemed to please the crowd of ured up to the standard of perfor-
curious Marines who had gathered mance required of men in special-
to look them over and welcome them ists' assignments, such as Quarter-
to Hawaii. master Supply Men, Radio Opera-
The majority was quartered in bar- tors, Radio Repairmen, Financial
racks recently vacated by the Seabees Clerks, Drivers, and Mechanics:'
at the Moanalua Ridge Area adjacent He went on, however, to criticize
to the Marine Corps Sixth Base the typical women's command struc-
Depot and Camp Catlin. The large, ture and recommended that, in the
wooden, airy barracks were already future, the administration of the
very comfortable, but needed Women's Reserve be handled by the
modifications for female occupants, unit to which the women are at-
so a small number of Seabees re- tached for duty. It was a widespread
mained behind to do some recondi- complaint, already voiced by Colonel
tioning. Major Wing, the command- Streeter and destined to be repeated
ing officer, '1 . had a fine way of
.
by Marines—men and women—for
treating men" according to Colonel nearly 30 years until the all-female
Streeter. units were finally disbanded in the
No Seabee could pay for a mid-1970s.
coke. As many cokes a day as Just before she left the Corps,
he wanted and he couldn't pay Colonel Streeter expressed some
for them. We got more work reservation about the wisdom of
out of those Seabees than you sending WRs to Hawaii — despite
could ever imagine. their substantial contribution. After
In Hawaii, the women worked the initial enthusiam, interest waned,
much the same as in the States, with boyfriends were opposed to having
most assigned to clerical jobs. More their girls go so far away, especially
than a third of the women at Ewa where they were vastly outnum-
33
 Photo courtesy of Mildred Cornwell Kelliher
Women Marines participated smartly in the VJ-Day parade ceremonial events on the island of Ohu while stationed in
in Honolulu on 11 August 1945. They also took part in other the islands, a tour they all found extremely enjoyable.
bered, and parents were put off by trained by members of the Marine
the length of the tour. There was un- Probably the most colorful of all Band. Prominent music schools and
easiness among the women caused by
the Women's Reserve units was the colleges were canvassed for candi-
the shifting pronouncements from Marine Corps Women's Reserve Band dates and talented enlisted women
Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, about formed in November 1943 by Cap- were auditioned to find the requisite
how many WRs they really needed,
tain William F. Santelmann and 43 musicians. Its director was Master
and at the same time, it was becom-
ing clear that victory over Germany The WR Band at Parris Island, trained by musicians from the Marine Band in
was imminent. Fewer women volun- Washington, DC., played for women's reviews and men's formal guard mounts,
and entertained both on and off of the bases throughout the country during the war.
teered for overseas and the Director Photo courtesy of Sarah Thornton
was disappointed.
By the summer of 1945, there were
21 officers and 366 enlisted Women
Reservists at Ewa, and 34 officers and
580 enlisted women in the Women's
Reserve Battalion, Marine Garrison
Forces, 14th Naval District. Some
stayed to process the men being
shipped through Hawaii on their way
home for demobilization, but they
were all back in the States by Janu-
ary. Because women serving overseas
accumulated credits for discharge at
the rate of two per month, compared
to one per month for those in the
United States, most were eligible for
discharge soon after V-J Day.

34
Sergeant Charlotte Plummer, form- of thousands of men headed for the build a fire in the coal stove before
erly director of the Portland, Oregon, Pacific. And, it was equally hard for rehearsals.
public school system band and mem- members to be indifferent to the Ellen Stone and Bonnie Small-
ber of the city's municipal band. trainloads of arriving recruits, as they wood (snare drum, traps, percussion)
The Camp Lejeune-based band greeted the youths with stirring mar- recalled the base concerts:
gave concerts at Parris Island, Cher- tial music, already thinking of the The weather was changeable
ry Point, Henderson Hall, and on na- day when they, too, would graduate One day a cold wind
tional radio programs. It played at and go off to war. would blow the marching
guard mounts, inspections, gradua- The WR Band played for President women musicians off balance,
tions, dances, and occasionally at the Roosevelt and Admiral Chester W. hitting the instruments against
officers club. It may be best remem- Nimitz and, at the request of the their teeth and bruising their
bered for stirring performances at the Treasury Department, it made War arms. The drums would loosen
weekly Saturday morning MCWR Bond and Victory than tours, travel- up and have no tone. Valves on
recruit depot reviews, marching to ing to Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadel- the brass instruments would
the rhythm of its own "March of the phia, and Cleveland — always to great stick. The clarinets would crack
Women Marines;' written especially acclaim. and lips would stick to the brass
for it by Musician First Class Louis The work must have seemed mouthpieces.
Saverino of the Marine Band. frivolous and glamorous and it cer- No complaints were heard in Au-
The band members were deeply tainly had those moments. But the gust 1945 when the band director
affected by the hospital concerts band members rehearsed long hours; called the women together to an-
where they entertained young Ma- toured in crowded, poorly main- nounce that Japan was expected to
rines on gurneys, in wheelchairs, tained buses; and carried heavy in- surrender at any moment:
propped up in bed, and trying to ap- struments in pouring rain, under the
plaud without hands. They couldn't broiling sun, and while marching we're to hit the streets in
help but think of their own hus- through sucking mud. Most had uniform, and we're to parade,
bands, boyfriends, brothers, played in orchestras and bands as parade, and parade! When
civilians, but had never worked at
brothers-in-law, cousins, classmates, word of the surrender comes,
neighbors, and loved ones. Not a their music for eight intensive hours we must be ready to fall out and
week passed that a band member a day. parade immediately . We
. . .

didn't receive bad news from the have to be ready to put on our
The practice room was unheated
front. and Loudene Grady (saxophone and uniforms, get our instruments,
Playing for the wounded and clarinet) and Louise Hensinger and our music pouches, and be
maimed Marines added an aching (Sousaphone and dance band out of here.
poignancy to the graduation parades vocalist) had to get up before the They freshened their make-up,
where the band stepped off in front others and go over to the room and rolled up their hair, brought their in-
The MCWR Band, directed by TSgt Charlotte L. Plummer, performed in concert at the Camp Theater, Camp Lejeune.
Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 7305

35
 struments into the squadroom for the
first time in two years, and quietly
waited. When at about 1900 on 14
August the announcement finally
came, the women cheered and fell
out for the victory celebration. For
three hours they zigzagged through-
out the base, playing until their lips
were sore, and blisters formed on
their fingers and heels.
Thousands of Marines, men and
women, spilled out of the barracks
and the theater and danced in and
out of their ranks. The women
played every march they knew by
heart because they couldn't read their
music in the pandemonium that fol-
lowed them. And, when entire sec-
tions couldn't play because of their
tears, the drums just beat out the
cadence.

Strength
A mere two-and-a-half years after
the formation of the Marine Corps
Women's Reserve, there were 18,460
women on active duty: 17,640 enlist-
Photo courtesy of Audre Fall wells ed persons and 820 officers. Women
Audre Fall was the first drum major of the Marine Corps Women's Reserve Band, commanded 28 units and comprised
WRs Jo Meers, Mickey Merrill, Mary Szoroletta, and Neva "lemonade" at the Blue Mirror, a favorite "watering hole" on
Vredevoogd celebrate the end of the Pacific War with 14th Street in Washington, D.C., where Marines often met.
Photo courtesy of Neva Vredevoogd Austin

36
 services — changed daily. Even while
acknowledging their own opposition
to women in uniform, a lot of men
were anxious to keep female clerks
on the job to process separation ord-
ers, cut paychecks, distribute medals
and decorations, arrange transporta-
tion, assist surviving dependents,
and otherwise settle the accounts of
thousands of Marines.
The demobilization procedures
called for mandatory resignation or
discharge of all WRs, officers and en-
listed women, by 1 September 1946.
In fact, in November 1945 the Com-
mandant was quoted in the
newspapers as saying that the Marine
Corps Women's Reserve would be
reduced to 2,638 enlisted women and
200 officers by 30 June 1946 and the
organization '1 . will completely
*

vanish from the picture by Septem-

Photo courtesy of Sarah Thornton
As other WRs look on, SSgt Elaine Martin cuts the birthday cake on 13 February
ber...:'
1946 for Parris Island Marines celebrating the 3d anniversary of the founding worn- With the MCWR already at two-
en's program. Demobilization of women Marines had already begun by this date. thirds its peak strength, Colonel
another 17. A few were assigned in- Ewa, and Eagle Mountain Lake Streeter, believing women should re-
dependently to specialities such as main no longer than needed, asked
(Texas).
recruiting. Since it was natural to use women to be released. She resigned on 6 De-
When the war finally ended with in the quartermaster field, WRs were cember 1945 and, the following day,
the abrupt surrender of the Japanese, working at the Depot of Supplies in her assistant, Lieutenant Colonel
women Marines were working in 225 Philadelphia; South Annex, Norfolk; Katherine A. Towle, was appointed
specialties in 16 out of 21 functional Camp Elliott, California; and Depot the second Director of the wartime
fields, filling 85 percent of the enlisted of Supplies, San Francisco. They also Marine Corps Women's Reserve and
worked at the four procurement dis- promoted to colonel. To Colonel
jobs at Headquarters Marine Corps Towle fell the dual responsibility of
and comprising one-half to two- tricts: Eastern, in Philadelphia;
overseeing the demobilization of the
Southern, in Atlanta; Central, in
thirds of the permanent personnel at women and planning for a postwar
all large Marine Corps posts and Chicago; and Western, at San women's organization.
stations. Francisco.
Despite the tentative beginning, Demobilization In the spring of 1946 there was a
women's units flourished. Line or- The task of demobilizing the war
steady stream of correspondence
ganizations included Women's machine was essentially an adminis- among the Services exploring vari-
Reserve battalions at Henderson trative process requiring more clerks ous proposals to give women perma-
Hall, Quantico, Camp Lejeune, Par- than warriors. There's an old saw nent status in the military. The
ris Island, San Diego, Camp Pendle- that says an army fights on beans Commandant endorsed a plan for a
ton, and Pearl Harbor; the School and bullets. In 1945, the War Depart- small women's reserve to be led in
Detachment at Camp Lejeune; and ment learned that an army disbands peacetime by a director with three
Women Reservist companies at San on a mountain of paperwork. officers at Headquarters and six in
Diego, San Francisco, and the Navy Although nearly everyone expected recruiting.
Yard at Mare Island, California, and the women to return home quickly, Conceding that some sort of wom-
in Washington, D.C., along with avi- they were needed more, not less. en's military organization was in-
ation units at Cherry Point, Quan- Policies regarding the discharge of evitable, and legislation authorizing
tico, Parris Island, El Toro, Miramar, women — not only from the Marine it was pending, the Marine Corps
El Centro, Santa Barbara, Mojave, Corps, but also from the other relaxed the requirement that WR
37
 Photo courtesy of Raelyn Harman Subramanian
The WRs of Squadroom 1, Barracks & Company L, Henderson Hall, enjoy a farewell dinner on Admiral Nimitz Day in 1945.
officers resign. Those still on active Camp Lejeune, San Diego, and El The office of the wartime MCWR
duty could ask for assignment to in- Toro. In contrast to the others, the was closed on 15 June 1946 when
active status, and those already sepa- WRs in San Diego were attached to Colonel Towle began terminal leave.
rated were sent a letter asking them the male 1st Separation Company. Before leaving the Marine Corps to
to reenlist in the Reserve and remind- Maintaining the paternalistic stance return to the University of Califor-
ing them of the privileges and taken right from the start, female nia's Berkeley campus as administra-
responsibilities of belonging to the leaders were charged with assisting tive assistant to the vice president
Marine Corps Reserve. Upon re- the women through the transition and provost, Colonel Towle pro-
quest, they were reappointed to the from Marine to civilian. posed the name of Major Julia E.
permanent rank held upon resig-
nation. Capt Henry W Bransom swears in Julia E. Ham blet, the first woman from the
nation's capital to join the Marine Corps, who became the director of the postwar
A point system, similar but not
Women's Reserve, 1946-1 948. She is credited with maintaining the interest of the
identical to the one used for men, was released WRs during those years and for organizing WR platoons across the country.
worked out to control the flow of Marine Corps Historical Collection
separations. Women with 25 points
on 1 September 1945 were eligible for
immediate discharge and the required
number of points was progressively
reduced until it reached zero the fol-
lowing July. Exceptions were made
and immediate separation was pos-
sible for women at least 38 years old
(later changed to 35) and for married
women whose servicemen husbands
had been discharged. Married wom-
en with a minimum of one year's
service could be released if their hus-
bands, discharged or not, were in the
country.
At first, commanding officers
released women directly from their
duty stations and when a unit's
strength fell below 100, it was dis-
banded. Later, separation centers
were set up at Henderson Hall,
38

Sisters Petrina and Rose Nigro, with their fellow Marine, Betty Hall, have dinner Commandant authorized keeping
in Washington, D.C., in 1945, before Rose and Betty leave for duty in San Diego. 100 WRs on active duty at HQMC,
Hamblet to be director of the wom-
en's postwar organization. She wrote:
It is believed that Major
Hamblet has all the attributes
and qualifications desirable in
a director of a postwar MCWR.
She is a college graduate, about
30 years of age (which is consi-
dered a great advantage in ap-
pealing to volunteers among
younger women, especially
those of college age), of fine ap-
pearance, with a great deal of
natural dignity and poise, and
has an outstanding service
record and reputation. She has
had experience in both line and
aviation assignments and has
served in the present MCWR
since her commissioning in the
First Officers' Class in May
1943.
The recommendation was ac-
knowledged by Headquarters but not
acted upon. Meanwhile Colonel
Towle's assistant, Captain Mary V. II-
lich, set to work tidying up the de-
tails of shutting down the wartime
Women's Reserve. With one private
first class, Captain Illich expected to
finish by 15 July 1946, about a
month and a half ahead of the Com-
mandant's schedule.
Ironically, on the day before she
left, Colonel Towle, in a report of the
state of the MCWR to the Director
of Personnel, wrote:
Photo courtesy of Raelyn Harman Subramanian policy when on 7 August 1946 the
General morale during
demobilization has been
gratifyingly high. Part of this
had been due to the definite
stand the Marine Corps itself
had taken from the beginning
on MCWR demobilization,
particularly in setting and
maintaining 1 September as the
terminal date of the wartime
Women's Reserve. It has been a
goal to work toward, and Ma-
rine Corps women have never
had the uncertainty and confu-
sion concerning demobilization
The cover of the music for "March of the
Women Marines," music and words by
Louis Saverino and Emil Grasser,
respectively, of the U.S. Marine Band.
cover sheet courtesy of Marine Band
39
which have occurred in some of
the other women's services be-
cause of the shifting of date and
changes in policy.
How could she have foreseen that
as the September deadline neared,
case after case of exception would be
requested? Few were granted, but it
kept Captain Illich so busy that on
30 August she received an assistant,
First Lieutenant Mary Janice Hale.
Lieutenant Hale's appointment came
on the heels of a major change in
for a period of eight months. The
women, clerk typists, payroll clerks,
and auditors were assigned to a new
division of the Personnel Division to
administer the Armed Forces Leave
Act of 1946. As an inducement to
stay, qualified privates first class who
applied were automatically promot-
ed to corporal.
The very next day, on 8 August,
the Commandant authorized the
retention of even more WRs —200
who would stay until 30 June
1947—10 months beyond the origi-
nal deadline for complete disband-
ment. He clearly specified that these
women". . . must have clerical, steno-
graphic or other specific ability (no
cooks, truck drivers, hairdressers,
etc., unless they have a secondary
clerical specification)."
So, in the midst of a determined
drive to demobilize the Women's
Reserve, 300 women were asked to
stay, and even as the last of the WR
barracks was being closed, a new
unit, Company F, 1st Headquarters
Battalion, Headquarters, U.S. Marine
Corps, commanded by First Lieu-
tenant Regina M. Durant, was acti-
vated on 19 August 1946 with 12
officers and 286 enlisted women.
An anonymous author summed
up the demobilization of the Marine
Corps Women's Reserve quite well in
an undated, unsigned brief history
that begins:
 It is rumored that when it
was announced that women
were going to be enlisted in the
Marine Corps the air was
colored with profanity in the
language of every nation as the
members of the old Corps
gathered to discuss this earth-
shattering calamity. It is entire-
ly probable that the wailing and
moaning which went on that
day amongst the old Marines
was never equaled — never, that
is, until it was announced that
the women Marines were going
home. Then, with a complete
reversal of attitude, many of
those same Marines declared
that the women in their offices
were essential military person-
nel and absolutely could not be
spared from the office.
On its first-year anniversary, 13
February 1944, the Women's Reserve
received a treasured message from
President Franklin D. Roosevelt:
The nation is as proud of you
as of your fellow Marines — for
Marine women are upholding
the brilliant traditions of the Department of Defense Photo (USMC) A119296
Corps with a spirit of loyalty The statue of Molly Marine at the corner of Elke Place and Canal Street in New
and diligence worthy of the Orleans was dedicated on 10 November 1943 to the women of the Marine Corps
highest admiration of all and serves as a symbol of continuous service for today's women Marines, who send
Americans. You have quickly an anniversary tribute each year from their duty stations around the world.
and efficiently taken over scores Doris Bibb and members of the Women Marines Association and other former Ma-
of different kinds of duties that rine associates gather at the funeral of Col Ruth Cheney Streeter, on 3 October 1990.
not long ago were considered Photo courtesy of Doris S. Bibb
strictly masculine assignments;
and in doing so, you have freed
a large number of well-trained,
battle-ready men of the corps
for action .

But, standing out among all the

beautifully worded accolades be-
stowed on the women Marines of
World War II, is a simple statement
made by General Holcomb, the Com-
mandant so opposed to having wom-
en in the Marine Corps in the
beginning: 'like most Marines, when
the matter first came up I didn't be-
lieve women could serve any useful
purpose in the Marine Corps .
Since then I've changed my mind:'

40
The primary sources for this pamphlet are
History of the Marine Corps Women's
Reserve: A Critical Analysis of its De-
velopment and Operation, 1943-1945
(Washington 6Dec45), written by Cols
Ruth Cheney Streeter and Katherine A.
Towle at the end of the war, and LtCoI Pat
Meid's Marine Corps Women's Reserve in
World War II (Washington: Historical
Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters, U.S.
Marine Corps, 1968).
Oral history transcripts of interviews
with Col Streeter, Ruth Cheney Streeter, A
Lively Life (Morristown, N.J. 1979), and
Col Katherine A. Towle, Katherine A.
Towle, Administration and Leadership
(Berkeley: University of California, 1970),
give behind the scenes insights into the era.
Women in the Military: An Unfinished
Revolution, written by MajGen Jeanne
HoIm, USAF (Ret), is a key reference be-
cause it presents a complete picture, com-
paring the road taken by each service in
integrating women into the Armed Forces
and argues that interservice cooperation
among the female directors played a vital
part in the success of all.
Special thanks are reserved for Peter A.
Soderbergh, who allowed the author to use
anecdotal material from his entertaining
and informative social history, Women
Marines: The World War/I Era (Westport
and London: Praeger Publishers, 1992).
Stories about the women of the WR Band
are from their privately published history,
Musical Women Marines of World War 11.
The author's previously published, A
History of the Women Marines, 1946-1977
(Washington, D.C.: History and Museums
Dvision, Headquarters, U.S. Marine
Corps, 1986), and Coping With Sexism in
the Military (New York: The Rosen Pub-
lishing Group, 1990), were also used. Ma-
rine Corps World War II recruiting
brochures and booklets, especially "Be A
Marine . . Free a Marine to Fight: U. S.
.
Marine Corps Women's Reserve'ç and "So
Proudly We Serve: U. S. Marine Corps
Women's Reserve;' were important souces
of information regarding recruiting, train-
ing, and job opportunities.
"Lady Leathernecks," written by Col
Towle for the Marine Corps Gazette and
published in February 1946, is a good sum-
mary of the era. Finally, the contributions
of the WRs who entrusted me with their
precious photographs and took the time to
pen their personal stories were immeasura-
ble. I hope this overview brings back many
fond memories.
olonel
Mary V. Stremlow, U.S. Marine
C Corps Reserve (Ret), Deputy Director, New
York State Division of Veterans' Affairs, has a
bachelor of science degree from New York State
University College at Buffalo. Her Marine Corps
service includes experience as a company com-
mander; staff operations officer; executive officer,
Woman Recruit Training Battalion, Parris Island;
inspector-instructor, Women's Reserve Platoon,
3d Infantry Battalion, Boston; instructor at the
Woman Officer School, Quantico; woman officer selection officer for the 1st Ma-
rine Corps District; and officer-in-charge, Mobilization Station, Buffalo.
She is the author of an official history, A History of the Women Marines,
1 946-1977, and of Coping With Sexism in the Military. She is a frequent public
speaker on the history of women veterans and for three years served on the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Women Veterans.
Colonel Stremlow counts three other women Marines in her family — Sergeant
Rose M. Nigro and Master Sergeant Petrina C. Nigro, both Women Reservists in
World War II, and her sister, retired Major Carol Vertalino Diliberto.
, '-zz-'t'
9%
WORLD WAR II
THIS PAMPHLET HISTORY, one in a series devoted to U.S. Marines in the
World War II era, is published for the education and training of Marines by
the History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps,
Washington, D.C., as a part of the U.S. Department of Defense observance
of the 50th anniversary of victory in that war.
Editorial costs of preparing this pamphlet have been defrayed in part by
a bequest from the estate of Emilie H. Watts, in memory of her late husband,
Thomas M. Watts, who served as a Marine and was the recipient of a Purple
Heart.
WORLD WAR II COMMEMORATIVE SERIES
DIRECTOR OF MARINE CORPS HISTORY AND MUSEUMS
Brigadier General Edwin H. Simmons, USMC (Ret)
GENERAL EDITOR,
WORLD WAR II COMMEMORATIVE SERIES
Benis M. Frank
CARTOGRAPHIC CONSULTANT
George C. MacGillivray
EDITING AND DESIGN SECTION, HIS TORY AND MUSEUMS DIVISION
Robert E. Struder, Senior Editor; W. Stephen Hill, Visual Information
Specialist; Catherine A. Kerns, Composition Services Technician
Marine Corps Historical Center
Building 58, Washington Navy Yard
Washington, D.C. 20374-5040
1994
PCN 190 003129 00